The God of Heroes
by AlfyreGree
Summary: Percy has lost almost everything and finds himself in a new universe. He's not alone though, and he's definitely not he same as he was before... Eventual PercyxRaven
1. Chapter 1

**Just so you know. I'm not going to even try to follow along any official DC storyline, as that would involve way too much information to keep up with, I don't read comics, I just watch the shows. The DC universe in this fic will be predominantly my own version, just heavily influenced by the ones I've seen. Suggestions for possible storylines are welcome. I hope you enjoy.**

Percy POV

It all went wrong after Tartarus. Annabeth, the girl I loved, didn't survive the fall, but I did. I wished to the fates that I didn't but I did, so I had to trudge through Tartarus alone. I likely wouldn't have survived if not for the help of Damasen and Bob, who both sacrificed themselves to get me out. That's two more on the long list of people dead because of me.

I would never forget the horrors I witnessed down there, the tortures I had endured before Bob came to rescue me. The other quest members could tell as soon as I emerged, and said nothing about the absence of Annabeth, for fear of setting me off.

Eventually we made our way to Olympus, set on eliminating the giants and preventing the rise of Gaea, but I managed to fuck that up too, with a fucking nose bleed, that supplied the blood of the male demigod. The other came from Hazels impalement.

Once Gaea had risen, my friends started falling one by one, either from a giant, or a spear made of dirt stabbing them from behind. I somehow managed to dodge or block each fatal blow, but ended up covered in minor cuts and bruises all over until I felt more like a living wound than a person. However, as I witnessed each friend die, I shoved down the urge to break down and weep, and replaced it with the drive to fight harder.

We had hoped for aid from the gods, but only one came. As I became the last one standing, surrounded by giants, my father arrived with a look of rage on his face matched only by mine, along with Tyson riding atop Mrs. O'Leary, and accompanied by Ella flying above him.

Poseidon looked at me before we began the final and explained how the other gods were ordered to take refuge on Olympus by Zeus, forced to only watch as their children died. He had been the only one strong enough to break through Zeus's grasp and come to my aid, determined not to watch his son die alone. I could only nod to him in gratitude before the fight begun.

Dad with his trident, Tyson with his club on Mrs. O'Leary, and me with my sword riding atop Blackjack was all that stood against Gaea and her giants upon the ruins of Athens, and we fought with all we had. Somehow, we managed to take down each giant, with dad and I combining our powers to create a condensed hurricane, keeping our enemies unbalanced and disoriented, and Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary jumping through the shadows to the enemies' blind spots. Ella, for her part, tried her hardest to keep the giants' attention while Tyson got behind them with his club, and it worked fairly well, until she was swatted out of the sky by Enceladus.

Tyson hollered her name in agony as she fell to the ground and rushed to cradle her, only for her to turn to dust in his arms.

The giant above him laughed at his enemy and made to crush him with his foot, only for Tyson to catch it in his hands. He then began growing to his thirty-foot size, all the while shouting his new battle cry, "FOR ELLA!"

I didn't see all of what happened next, as I was busy doing drive byes at giants faces with Blackjack but I knew it didn't end well for the giant. Once dad had finished off all the giants with his godly power, all that was left was Gaea.

Until then she had simply attacked from the earth, but as the last giant fell, she formed forty foot tall body made of earth to face us, "You will pay for destroying my children! Let's see how you fare without your daddy here to save you!"

Before even Poseidon could react, she shot her arm down at him, simultaneously growing it into a long spike that drove itself through his chest. Splattering ichor on the ground behind him. He could only look down at the hole in his chest before whispering, "I'm sorry." And collapsing on the ground.

Tyson and I looked at each other, and I knew we were thinking the same thing, I readied Blackjack, and Mrs. O'Leary stood by Tyson' side, only reaching his knees at his new height. Together we screamed in anger and charged at her. Mrs. O'Leary started the attack with a surprising leap straight at the giant woman's face, knocking her off balance and clawing at her eyes to blind her. as she stumbled back screaming, "Filthy mongrel! Get off me!" Tyson used the opening to charge straight at her an wrap him up in her arms. He then used his massive strength to heave her body off the ground and away from her power source. "Now Brother!"

I nodded to him and rode Blackjack to Gaea's body held off the ground, before jumping off onto her chest.

She could only look down at me as she flailed her arms to try to get out of Tyson's grasp, "You? What do you think you can do that all of your comrades and family could not! I am a primordial youfilthy demigod!"

Instead of shooting back my usual witty remark, I could only glare ferociously at her, before closing my eyes and focus on channeling a power I wasn't even sure I had. However, after a few moments I felt the familiar tug in my gut, alongside an unfamiliar sensation of my hands vibrating violently with the power of a catastrophic earthquake.

Upon seeing this, she looked down at me In horror, "No… it's not possible! Don't—Aghhhh!"

She cried out as I thrust both hands into her chest, channeling the vibrations into her body, shaking it wildly. Soon bits of her began to crumble away, but I felt myself tiring quickly. I knew the power needed to finish her off might just kill me. I was fine with that.

With a final scream of determination, I put everything I had into my power and forced the primordial to burst into an explosion of rocks in Tysons arm, sending me flying high above the battle ground, barely conscious.

As I began my descent toward the ground, I knew that the impact of the fall would be the end. Then I would be with Annabeth, in Elysium. I closed my eyes and waited patiently for the end to come.

It was after about 30 second of no impact that I decided something was up. I opened my eyes to find that I was suspended in midair, along with all the rubble from Gaea's body. I looked down to find that Tyson, Mrs. O'Leary, and Blackjack were all frozen as well. I saw that Blackjack was on route to catch me mid fall, making me smile, but at the same time, I really wanted him to fail.

"Don't think like that Perseus, it is unhealthy." A trio of familiar voices spoke in unison.

In front of me appeared the three fates, floating in mid-air. They all were looking at me with an expression I'd never thought I'd see from them: regret.

I glared at them, "What do you want? I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

The middle one sighed, "Indeed. This is the end of your life Perseus. One way or the other."

The right one said, "either your Pegasus will not catch you, and you will die,"

The left continued ,"Or you will be saved. Either way"

All three spoke, "You will spend the rest of eternity in torment."

The center finished, "Zeus has seen your true power, you have just defeated a primordial! He will not allow a being such as yourself to exist unchecked, dead or alive. If you die, he will toss your soul into the farthest depths of Tartarus, where you can never escape, and if you live, he will imprison you for the rest of your life, however long that may be, or kill you and still toss you into Tartarus. No matter what, your future is bleak."

I scoffed not the least surprised in the information, but still steadily brimming with anger and despair, "So? You orchestrated all this right? Why are you telling me this now."

They sighed and spoke in unison, "We knew this would come to pass before you were even conceived, but we did not know of the person you would become. That is something even we cannot control, and you Perseus, have grown into the finest hero this world, and possibly every other world has ever seen. You do not deserve the fate given to you. Which is why we have decided to give you a new one. We will send you to a new world, one that has use of someone like you. But fear not, you will not be alone."

I looked at them hopefully, but they shook their heads, "We are sorry Perseus, but we will not send Annabeth with you, she has already passed in this world, and will eventually choose rebirth. Her soul will go on to do great things, we cannot allow her to be taken away."

I resisted the urge to burst into tears and hung my head, "Yeah that makes sense, I always figured she'd do great things."

They smiled sadly at me, "Indeed. Prepare yourself Perseus, the world we are sending you too is much like this one, but at the same time vastly different. You will likely face many more hardships along the way, but we also see the potential for you to finally find the peace you've craved your whole life. We wish you luck. Farewell."

I had a lot more I wanted to say, ranging from asking who she was sending with me, to flipping them again for old time's sake, but before I could do anything I was enveloped in a blinding white light, and then all went dark.

I awoke to the familiar sound of a bustling city, though definitely not as loud as New York. I opened my eyes and sat up to find myself in an empty alleyway, because gods forbid I ever wake up somewhere nice and cozy.

The first thing I noticed when I tried to stand was that all my cuts and bruises had miraculously disappeared. I was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a blue t shirt. I held a hand up to my neck and was relieved to find my camp necklace still around it. I reached into my pocket and found Riptide in its usual place, making me sigh in relief yet again. For a moment I entertained the idea that I had just been in a really intense nightmare and that I didn't lose everyone I've ever loved. But the thoughts were shattered when I found a newspaper on the ground. The date was 2010, just like my world, but the headline read: "Plans revealed to establish direct contact with Martians." I wasn't as up to date on current events as most mortals, having other things to worry about, but I'm pretty sure even I would have heard if we discovered Martians. I was definitely on a new earth.

As I came to this realization, all the events leading up to this moment suddenly crashed down on me at once, and I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. I felt the need to cry out, yell my sorrow for everyone to hear, but my mouth remained dry and motionless.

That's when I heard the faint sound of someone screaming, "Help! Get us out"

I stood up, eager to find a reason to distract me from my pain, and started running towards the sound, As I ran, I soon realized that I was in Washington DC, which explained the awful heat.

I found the source of the screaming at a burning building, three stories tall. Standing at a high window, two men were impatiently awaiting the fire department to get them down, as the flames grew wilder behind them. That's when an explosion went off behind them, sending them flying towards the ground. I was about to step in to do… well I wasn't sure, I was more of a "in the moment" kind of guy, but before I could a yellow blur blew past me and ran straight up the side of the building. It caught both men and threw them on the roof, before losing its momentum and falling down. Now that it was slow enough, I saw that it was actually a young kid wearing yellow and red spandex, now dangling from the window the men were in. For a moment he seemed familiar, but I didn't waste time thinking about it. I raced forward and held my hand out to harness the water from the firefighter's hose. I then wrapped it around myself and propelled myself towards the kid. Once I was clsoe enough I channeled some of the water to put out the flames, and some more to offer the kid some support while I got inside to pull him up.

As he was pulled up he sighed in relief, "Thanks Aqua—"He froze when he looked up and saw me though, "You're not Aqualad..."

I blinked then nodded, "And you're not dangling off a building, you're welcome." I probably could have been nicer, but I really couldn't care enough at the moment.

He shook off his surprise and opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped when a dark-skinned, blond haired dude rose up to the window, riding a plume of water that he seemed to be controlling with weird handles and glowing tattoos. He had a weird red and black suit on, and a small black back attachment. Basically, he was weird looking I guessed that this was the real "Aqualad". He looked at me with narrowed eyes and asked in stoic tone, "How did you do that?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Same way you did I'm guessing." I actually didn't think our ways were similar at all, but it gave me time to inspect him further. He was wearing a strange suit with fins on his legs, and on his neck, were actual gills. Maybe he was some sort of fish-person hybrid?

Our stare down was interrupted by the sound of a young boy laughing creepily. A kid dressed in red and yellow with a cape and a mask, swung in on some kind of grappling hook. He landed nimbly in front of us and got right up in my face, inspecting me like an interesting new creature.

"You have three seconds to get out of my face, before I get angry." I stated coldly. The boy seemed to get the message and backed away.

"You seem pretty angry already…" The fast guy muttered, only to flinch as I looked back at him.

"Well," I drawled, "This was annoying. Since no one's going to thank me for saving your life I'll just be on my way then." I made my way towards the window, only for the redhead to appear in front of me.

"Wait! Sorry, thank you! really!" He stammered,

I then felt the other two close in behind me, the boy said, "We can't just let an unknown meta run unchecked. We should take him to the League to get registered in the database."

"Indeed," the fish guy said, "His power over water was definitely not Atlantiean, not even my king can control it with such ease."

I felt myself getting antsy, and a little confused at the reference to Atlantis, the fish guy wasn't blue and didn't have shark teeth, "I really don't care what you guys think you should do. I'm not interested. So, I suggest you let me go peacefully."

In response, the fish boy grabbed my arm from behind. I reacted with a quick spinning kick, sending him flying back into a wall. Then the one with the cape did some weird flip kick and knocked me back a few steps, where the redhead wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug, "Dude calm down! we aren't going to hurt you! You're very strong!"

With a growl I forced my way out of his hold, sending him stumbling back… towards the window again. I sighed and rushed to catch him right as he was about to fall. He looked up at me with a startled look on his face, "Thanks again?"

I rolled my eyes and threw his lighter body at the kid, who was in the middle of a stealthy charge straight at me. they collided in a tangle of limbs, but I was more worried about the fact that fish boy was nowhere to be seen.

Then I felt a heavy weight drop down on my. I grunted as I threw the man off of me only for him to use the momentum to land a flip in front of me. his weird tattoos started glowing and he shot out a tendril of glowing water to wrap around me. "Stand down, perhaps we can talk this out."

I smirked at him as I felt the water empowering me. he seemed to notice this and looked at me in shock. He whispered, "Your eyes…" before I simply walked through the water trap, my element making way for me to escape. I threw a quick punch to his face to disorient him before moving behind him as the other two had finally gotten to their feet. I pulled out Riptide and uncapped it before holding the glowing blade to fish boys throat. "One more step and he's filet"

They got the message and froze in place. The redhead held his hands up, "Look man this has gotten way out of hand, you've saved my life twice now, I doubt you'll kill him."

I simply stared at him, not moving my blade. The kid shook his head, "I don't think even he knows what he'll do. Look at his eyes, their wild and unfocused. Think maybe he's schizo?"

I tuned out the rest of their conversation, as my attention was turned to the unfamiliar voice in my head. maybe I am schizo. A voice that sounded like it belonged to a far off man called _Help us! We are trapped, imprisoned, tortured!_ At those words I felt flashed of Tartarus fly through m head, causing me to flinch and nearly drop my sword, something that didn't go unnoticed by the fish boy. Before I could react, he took full advantage of my momentary lack of focus and threw my across the room. I slammed into the wall, losing the air in my lungs, before falling to the floor.

I opened my eyes to find the kid pointing a fancy looking Taser at me. "Don't make me do it man, because I will."

I sighed and got to my feet, lazily deflecting the Taser prongs with my sword before walking past the stunned teenager.

I started making my way through the building, looking for the source of the voice. I wasn't ready to accept insanity just yet. I was very aware that I was being followed around by three very curious weirdos. Who seemed to be studying my actions for a change from straight up assaulting me.

Eventually the fish boy got in front of me again, holding his hands up, "Please be calm, I will not attack again."

I shrugged, "You can attack all you want, you're not going to win with those weapons. I appreciate the gesture though." I then walked past him, almost laughing at the dumbstruck look on his face.

The redhead spoke next, "What are you looking for? Are you investigating Project Cadmus too?"

I whirled around to look at the trio in shock, "Cadmus? As in dragon's teeth?"

The kid looked at me curiously, "They mostly deal in genetics so… probably not? You're thinking of the myth, aren't you?"

I shivered as I remembered the ghostly soldiers hunting me form the ends of the earth, "Myth. Right. To answer your questing Zippy, someone's trapped here."

Zippy seemed offended by me calling him "Zippy", but the kid ignored it and pressed on, "You're sure? How do you know?"

I groaned, "I don't know for sure, but I just heard a voice asking for help and claiming he was being tortured. I know that makes me sound crazy, but trust me, my crazy is way different."

Fish boy raised an eyebrow, "Trust you? A moment ago you were holding a sword to my throat, where did you even acquire a sword like that?"

I rolled my eyes and walked up to him casually. Once I was close enough, I shot out Riptide towards his body, only for it to phase right through, reassuring me that he was definitely not a monster, or at least one I knew of. "See? You were never in any danger alright?"

He was too busy looking down at the sword through his chest in shock, so I just sighed and put it away. The kid was the first one to pull himself together and say, "What the hell! That was solid before! How did you fit it in that small a compartment?"

I shrugged as I turned to continue searching through rooms, as they followed behind me, "Magic. Also you shouldn't curse."

The speedster scoffed, "There's no such thing as magic."

I turned back to smile without happiness. "If only that were true. Besides, what do you think your friend there is doing."

Aqualad, as I believe he was called looked at his comrade with a look that said, "He's not wrong" but the just scoffed, "Atlantean magic is just science we don't understand yet, just like what you're doing."

I nodded, "Maybe, honestly I don't care. How about instead of just following me around like children, you actually help me out. Judging by your getups your "superheroes" or something, right?" They all nodded silently, "Then do your job and help me save someone. I know they're around here somewhere."

"Can you at least tell us your name?" Aqualad asked.

"You never gave yours, why should I give mine?"

They looked at each other before looking at me curiously, "You mean you've never heard of us?" Aqualad asked

The redhead slumped forward, "Speedy was right, we are just a bunch of sidekicks, why would he know us?"

The kid stepped forward, "I'm Robin, I work with _Batman_. You know him, right?"

I just stared at him, "Doesn't ring a bell. I'm not exactly from around here."

"You'd have to be from a different universe not to have heard about the Flash," the redhead said, "I work with him, they all me Kid Flash."

Upon seeing the look on my face, his eyes widened, "Wait really? You're from another universe?"

I looked at the three curiously, "You don't seem overly concerned about that,"

Aqualad shrugged, "Travel between dimensions has long since been proven possible. It is not so hard to believe, my name is Kaldur'ahm. But you can call me Kaldur, or Aqualad if you wish."

I nodded, "I think I'll stick to Kaldur. Now are you all going to help or am I on my own here?"

They looked at each other, and seemed to confer for a moment before turning back to me. Robin said, "We'll help you, but afterwards you have to stop by the Justice League HQ, just so they know who you are, in case…"

"In case you turn evil and we have to take you down." Kid Flash stated, earning a smack in the head from Robin, "What? It's true!"

I narrowed my eyes at them, "Swear on the Styx that It's not a trap."

Kid Flash raised an eyebrow, "Uh, which sticks would you be referring to?"

"I think he means the River Styx, from Greek Mythology." Robin guessed.

Kaldur nodded in agreement, "Swearing on the Styx is supposed to be a contract that could not be broken, less one suffer divine consequences. That was the story anyway.'

I nodded, "Exactly. Now make the oath, or I start walking. Can't hurt if it's just a story right?"

They seemed to hesitate for a moment, before Robin shrugged and said, "I swear on the River Styx that we will not trap or trick you."

Off in the distance, the familiar sound of rumbling thunder sounded. It seems that some things never change. I smiled lightly and clapped Robin on the shoulder as I walked past the stunned superheroes, "Don't go breaking that now. You can call me Percy."

Kid Flash whispered, "That a was a coincidence, right? Guys?"

We ignored him as Robin strode forth with purpose towards a console next to the elevator. "This will go faster once I'm hacked into the network." He pulled out a cord from his wrist armor and plugged into the console. A holographic display popped up from his gauntlet, surprising me. What came next was an impressive display of computer skills that I don't think even Leo could pull off.

At the thought his name, I winced as the image of his head being removed from his body flashed in my head. I had to take a step back from watching Robin to clear my head again.

Kaldur noticed this, "Are you alright Percy?"

I nodded as I rubbed the bridge of my nose, "I'm fine, don't worry about it. Any luck?"

Robin frowned, "If there really is a telepath calling out for help here, I'd bet that their somewhere on the 60 stories below ground level that don't show up on the city plans."

I nodded, "That would make sense."

He continued to scroll through the information, "I'm not sure which one though, each level has weird project names and nothing else attached to them. Whoever built this system didn't want any average hacker getting important information. It will be a long search."

I nodded, "Then we start at the lowest level and work our way up. What's the name of that project?"

He typed a few things in before reading, "Project Kr."

In nodded and took out my sword to pry open the elevator doors, revealing the seemingly bottomless elevator shaft.

I looked down and whistled. "That's a long drop."

Robin sighed, "I don't think my grapple can reach that far. Any ideas?"

"We could take the stairs?" Kid Flash suggested,"

"Are you insane?" I snapped, "That would take ages! Kaldur, please tell me that's water I sense in your back attachment,"

He nodded, "I always keep a backup amount."

"Mind if I borrow it?"

"I don't like this!" Kid Flash commented.

"I'm aware," I said calmly, "you've said it numerous times."

I was currently lowering us down the shaft on a platform made of water. I was going as fast as I could without throwing anyone off, but it still took pretty long. We were just now finally reaching the bottom level.

I pried open the doors and let the others off before dispelling the platform.

"Your stamina for water constructs is truly extraordinary," Kaldur commented, "Might I ask where you acquired your powers?"

I shrugged, "You can call it a birthright. Anyone else see the weird fleshy substance covering the wall?"

"I do," said a very uneasy looking Kid Flash, "I think I might be sick."

We made our way through the grotesque halls, looking for anything suspicious, or more suspicious than what we've already seen. Eventually we spotted a very heavy looking door with the letters "Kr" over it.

"Think that's it?" I asked sarcastically.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" Kid flash joked, before racing forward, caution to the wind. I turned to Robin and Kaldur who were sighting to themselves, apparently, he did this a lot.

I more or less expected it when suddenly a giant creature nearly flattened him if he didn't get out of the way in time. As we watched in awe, several enormous, and very weird creatures lumbered past us in a hallway crossing. We were so caught up marveling at them that we didn't notice the smaller creature in the lab coat spot us, until he called out, "Halt!"

We looked over and saw that he had begun to lift explosive tanks with his mind and was preparing to throw them at us. Behind him was a squad of small, monkey like creatures running toward us.

I rushed towards Kid Flash and helped him up, "Time to run."

We spirited towards the doors, I turned to KF, "Take Robin up there to hack the door open, Kaldur and I will keep them off you!"

They nodded and went ahead, while Kaldur and I turned to face the oncoming horde. I uncapped Riptide and tried to slice through the first one that lunged at me, but it phased right through, and landed on my arm, biting at me until I through it back. "Shit!"

"What happened to "no swearing"?" Kaldur asked, making me turn to glare at him as he sliced through one of the creatures with his water blades. He held one of his blades towards me, "Use mine, I can make do with one blade."

I nodded to him gratefully and pulled water from his device and formed a water version of Riptide. I hadn't ever done that before, as I never needed to, but it was effective enough. I was soon slicing through creatures as fast as Kaldur, if not more so. He took notice of this, "I take it you are an experienced swordsman."

I was going to tell him "Yes, and you're not too bad yourself" but my attention was drawn to the taller creature, sending an explosive tank straight towards him. Without thinking I rushed forward to shield him, while at the same time sending my water out to cover it as it ignited.

I sighed in relief when I managed to subdue the explosion in a cocoon of water, and turned back to the stunned Kaldur, "You alright?"

He nodded, "Y-Yes, thank you."

I nodded, "No problem, now pay attention!" I snapped. He nodded stiffly and focused on the enemy at hand.

Finally, Robin called out, "It's open, come on!"

Kaldur and I made a run for the door. As we approached though, the doors began to close, "Robin!" I called, "What the Hades!"

He was tapping furiously on his hologram, "I can't stop it! It's a manual override!"

"I don't care! Override the override!" I yelled, but I knew I was no use. I held my hand out and sent my allotted bit of water toward the door, and did my best to hold it open, but I only slowed it down. The effort took a bigger toll on me than expected as I ran.

When we finally made it through the doors, I released the water, allowing the doors to slam shut, keeping the enemies out, but also keeping us in.

"Great, now we're trapped." Kid Flash sighed.

I groaned, "You should try being more positive."

"I'm positive we're trapped."

I was just about to slap the speedster upside the head, when Kaldur interrupted us, "Guys! You should come see this."

We all gathered around the center of the room, which housed a strange dark container in front of a console. Kaldur pressed a button, and suddenly, lights turned on inside the container, illuminating a young man, dressed in a white jumpsuit with a big red S on his chest, trapped in a diamond shape. He had jet black hair similar to mine, and an insane physique. Above his head sat three small versions of the creatures we fought before, that appeared to be asleep with him, only they had glowing blue horns.

I looked at the others, and saw that they were in some form of shock. "What's wrong? I mean it's shocking for sure, but it can't possibly be the first time you've seen something like this."

Kaldur looked at me, "You don't understand, that symbol is the symbol of Superman, the most powerful being on the planet, and he looks like a slightly younger version of him. Which means…"

"A clone of Superman," Robin stated. "Likely being psychically fed an education from those creatures and whatever else the feel like putting in his head."

"They're basically making a slave out of Superman's son!" Kid Flash exclaimed, "That's so messed up."

"So, I'm guessing he probably doesn't know about this." I stated dryly."

"It is highly unlikely." Kaldur stated. "What should we do?"

"Free him." I stated simply.

"Uh yeah but," Kid flash drawled, "what if he tries to kill us or something? I don't know if we can take him."

I shrugged, "If worse comes to worse we defend ourselves, even if it means putting him down. it's better to be dead to live as a puppet."

Robin stared at me, "Are you speaking from experience?"

I just looked at the clone, "Hack it."

He didn't need further encouragement. However, as he was plugged into the computer he held a hand up, "Whoa. I just found the data on the creatures.'

We all looked at the screen curiously, "And."

"Super strength, super speed, razor claws… these things are living weapons! And by the looks of it there's already enough to make an army!"

I sighed and mumbled, "Great, another army of monsters." Before speaking up, "If this guy is as powerful as you think he is, I'd wager he would be the general. All the more reason to deal with him now. Wake him up."

Robin nodded and punched in a few commands, before backing up several feet, as did the others. I was the only one standing directly. In front of the guy when he finally opened his eyes, I spoke first, "Hey, my names Percy, and we're here to rescue you."

There was a moment of silence where we simply looked at each other. Then he growled and shot forward, faster than I could react, and punched me in the face. Knocking me out cold.

I awoke in restraints, suspended inside some kind of glass tube. I tugged on the restraints a few times, to confirm that they were in fact very tight, before looking around. I was in different room than before, with a console in front of the containment tubes. Several other tubes sat next to me, containing the rest of the superheroes I was with. Most of them looked unconscious, except one, Kaldur. He appeared to be muttering something to himself. I tried calling out to him, but he didn't respond, I guess my voice was too muffled.

I stared at him in anger for a moment, before my eyes landed on the gills on his neck. That's when I got a crazy idea. I tried reaching out to him with my mind _Hello? Kaldur, can you hear me?_

Instantly he looked over at me and met my eyes, _Percy? How? Are you a telepath?_

I shook my head _It only works on sea creatures, a category which you apparently fall under. Interesting._

He looked at me in awe, _Amazing… but how…. Never mind, it's not important now._

I nodded _I agree. We need to get out of here. I have a plan, but it's a bit messy—_

 _Fret not Percy, I believe our rescue will come soon. Just be patient._

I looked at him curiously _What do you mea—AAAGH!_

All thoughts in my head were swept away as I felt my entire body become engulfed in pain. It felt like I was being set on fire and being electrocuted at the same time. Suddenly I was back in my cell in Tartarus. the place I was held captive for what felt like years, but only lasted two weeks.

I was chained to the wall, starving as always, and bleeding profusely, but I wasn't too concerned, I knew that my captors wouldn't let me die

Speak of the devil, the door to my cell was suddenly ripped off its hinges. I looked up to see Perses, the titan of Destruction stomping towards me. he undid my chains and threw my too the floor, "Get up Percy. It's time to go." I shivered at his voice. I knew where he wanted me to go, to the chamber where he tortured me every day without fail. He took great pleasure in it, I suppose it makes sense though. I did kill a few of his brothers. However, this time I realized something was different. I felt Riptide in my pocket not locked away in whatever magical container he kept it in to keep it from returning to me. I finally had a fighting chance.

"Get up Percy." He growled, and I had to resist the urge to scream profanities at him. I took a deep breath, and pulled out riptide. In one swift motion, it turned, uncapped it, and shoved it into the Titan's chest, stunning him. For a moment, I thought I had won, but then he became angry. He wrapped his hand around my neck and held me up, and the hope in me died. I closed my eyes, waiting for the beating to come, until I felt a splash of water on my face.

I opened my eyes to find myself back at Cadmus. I was being held up by the Superman Clone, and screamed at by the other superheroes, "Snap out of it Percy."

Upon realizing I was lucid, the clone dropped me to the ground, allowing me to cough and gasp for air while Kaldur patted me on the back while I recovered. When I was breathing evenly I asked, "What happened?"

Robin answered, "Superboy freed you, but instead of thanking him, you tried to stab him with your sword! Thankfully it phased through him like with Kaldur but Dude! Not cool."

I was unsure what to say, but Kaldur was, "Leave him be, he was obviously unwell." He then looked into my eyes, a sad look of understanding in them, "You were somewhere else, weren't you?"

I stared back at him for a moment before responding, "We should get out of here."

I stood up and walked forward, only to hear him stand behind me, "I've seen it before Percy, I can—"

I whirled on him, "You have NOT seen this before. And you likely never will. You do not know me, and I do not know you, frankly I'd like to keep it that way. So let's just get out of here so I can go back to…"

Kid Flash scoffed, "What? Let me guess, go back home? Hide from the world and waste your powers let me tell you some—"

He was cut off as I gave him a wolf stare filled with all the pain and anguish I had acquired, "I do not hide! And I can't go home! It's in another universe remember! Now how about you all shut up and focus on getting out of here, before tear this place down on top of us."

That was the end of our conversation for a while. We made our way to the elevator shaft, where Superboy attempted to fly out of the shaft, only to realize that he couldn't fly at all. The realization seemed to shake him up quite a bit. KF and Robin tried to cheer him up, but to no avail. He ended up standing on the water platform with everyone else as I lifted us up.

After a few minutes, I looked over at him, "Sorry I tried to stab you."

He looked at me with bright blue eyes that almost seemed to be filled with as much anger as mine, "I did punch you very hard in the face."

I nodded, "Yeah I'll be feeling that one for a while." I stopped talking after that.

The others discussed all that they had seen and discovered, and how they would have to report it to "The League". I honestly couldn't care less.

When we finally reached the top, we exited the elevator hoping for an easy walk out of there. Instead there was some lab coat wearing dickbag holding a vial. "Did you really think you could escape so easily. Those genomorphs are useless, I'll have to deal with you myself."

He then opened the vial and drank it all in one go. As we watched, he started growing in size, his skin literally splitting in some areas due to the increase in muscle mass. Once he was finished, his physique vaguely resembled atlas, if Atlas were a thousand times uglier and half as smart. The creature roared in outrage at us before charging at a surprising speed for its size.

All the others managed to jump out of the way, but I, being me, was lucky enough to catch a fist to the gut, and get sent flying into a pillar, slamming into the cement hard enough to send blood gushing out of my mouth. I coughed a bit up before looking up at the others fighting the creature off. Even Superboy seemed outmatched, but I quickly noticed a major flaw in their attacks.

I rushed forward, ignoring the pain in my ribs and gathering the spare water puddling on the floor, "Kaldur! Superboy! Restrain him for a few seconds I think I can take him down!"

Superboy growled as he barely dodged another punch, that cratered the floor, "How?"

I smirked, "You'll know it when you see it."

I splashed water in his eyes from a distance, trying to get him disoriented while Aqualad and Superboy tried to contain him. Robin and Kid Flash seemed to like my idea, Robin with his shurikens, and Kid Flash with drive bys trying to get the behemoth off balance. Eventually we managed to get him wrapped up in a bear hug from Superboy with his leg wrapped up in Kaldur's water tendrils. Robin yelled, "Whatever you're going to do Percy, do it now!"

I nodded and rushed forward. I collected the water in my hands to form a water blade. Once I was close enough I jumped up and ran up the creatures body a little before jumping into the air above him, where I raised my water blade above me. I combined the power of gravity with all of my own strength to bring the blade down on the creature's neck, removing its head from hits body cleanly.

I landed on the floor in front of the now decapitated body, unflinching as a rain of blood poured down on me, unlike the others.

Kid Flash straight up vomited on the spot. Super boy and Kaldur fell on their asses, stunned at the corpse they had been holding. The only one who was able to speak was Robin

"What the hell did you do?" the kid marched up and got right in my face, as if he could possibly intimidate me.

I answered matter-of-factly, "I eliminated the enemy, in the most effective way."

"That is not your call!" Kid Flash shouted before going back to puking.

"He's right," Kaldur continued, "that is not how we do things on this earth,"

"It isn't up to you whether or not someone dies!" Robin practically screamed in my face.

I simply stared back at him, unmoved, "It is when he's trying to kill me. in fact he was trying to kill all of you. I could tell none of you had the will or drive to do it so I did it for you. your welcome."

With that I turned and walked out of the building. I heard the others follow me soon after. Superboy, who seemed unsure of what to say. I suppose it made sense, he was only a few weeks old technically. Kid Flash managed to distract him by pointing at the sky, giving him his first view of the moon.

Robin was on some form of communicator, talking to someone, and Kaldur walked up to me. I glared at him as he approached, "What? here to lecture me more about "the sanctity of life""

He shook his head. "No, I can tell that will mean nothing to you. In fact I understand where you're coming from, having served in the Atlantean army, I know the feeling of taking a life, and I know how much more effective it is."

I raised an eyebrow, "I'm sensing a but here."

He nodded, "But we are not in a military. Here we stand as earths heroes and protectors. People look to us for an example. If we went around killing every criminal we came across, the people would begin to fear us, and would not allow us to save them anymore."

I rolled my eyes, "That wasn't just some criminal, that was a monster, monsters need to be put down."

He nodded "I agree, but it is not up to us, it is up to the courts. I know you are not from this world, but if you are to stay, you cannot do what you just did in there."

I shook my head, "Whatever. Aren't we supposed to go talk to "The League"? what's the hold up?"

Robin put away his communicator, "They're a bit held up at the moment, some monster is trampling around Metropolis. It's strong enough to swat Superman away like a fly, and keeps yelling something about "Peanut butter."

I snapped my attention to him, "Describe it!"

He looked confused, "What?"

I grabbed him by the shoulders, ignoring as the others tensed up, "The creature! What does it look like?"

He blinked, "uh it's kind of weird, it's thirty feet tall, and only has one eye—"

He was cut off as I walked away from him, "Hey wait where are you going?"

I looked back at the superheroes, "Which way is Metropolis?"

Wally pointed south, "That way, but what's the big deal? The League can handle it…"

I was no longer listening to any of them as I searched the night sky. If he was here, then maybe…

I held my hands up to my mouth and gave the loudest New York taxi whistle I could muster, so loud I noticed the heroes holding their ears in surprise. Then I waited.

After a moment of terrifying silence, I heard a familiar whinny in the distance. I looked in its direction and almost wept at the sight of Blackjack soaring through the night sky towards me.

"What the heck is that?" Kid Flash asked, as the other heroes were looking at blackjack in awe as well.

"Horses aren't supposed to have wings… right?" Superboy asked.

I ignored all of them. As Blackjack finally got into range he called out, _BOSS! I've been looking all over for you! what the heck happened? What is this bizzaro world?_

As he landed in a trot in front of me I rushed forward and jumped on his back , "No time to explain buddy, Tyson is in someplace called metropolis, south of here, we got to get to him now."

 _Got it, leave it to me boss!_

With that he got a running start and took off into the air. Behind me the teenaged superheroes were calling out to me in anger and confusion, but I didn't care. They can capture me, and ask any questions they want later.

But no one was going to hurt my baby brother.

 **Later**

Long after the heroes had abandoned the Cadmus building, a man in an expensive looking suit strode through the main room. Observing the damage done by project Blockbuster. His eye was caught by something near a pillar, that was barely standing.

He walked over to it and crouched down to inspect what looked like a puddle of liquid gold.

The man produced a cotton swab and collected some of the liquid to store in a sealed container. He lifted the container up to his face, the face of Lex Luthor.

"Interesting…" he muttered, before turning and walking off.

 **Chapter 1!**

 **I know I had some things I wanted to change here, but then I went to see infinity war, and now my minds in ruins. Oh well. Hopefully its good as is. If you think that's lazy you're right, feel free to flame me, I have Tyson here to protect me, he's fireproof.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Do not expect this rate of upload forever, I'm just really into it at the moment, it will pass, eventually.**

Third Person POV 

The Justice League was not having a good time. They had just stopped the sun from being blotted out, only for something else to go down immediately after.

Superman was the first to hear the screams, before Batman got the alert on his comms. The league rushed to Metropolis to find the cause of the commotion.

Raging through the city streets was a thirty-foot humanoid being with only one brown eye. He had curly brown hair and was wearing what looked like Greek armor over a large T shirt and some jeans. He wielded an enormous wooden club and ran through the streets, screaming randomly and smashing the ground randomly, as if it were his enemy.

So far there hadn't been any casualties, but he was doing a good job of destroying the city. The Justice league observed this from the air. Superman, Wonderwoman, Martian Manhunter, Zatara, Shazam, Hawkgirl, and both Green Lanterns Flew alongside the Batwing, which housed Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Black Canary.

Batman narrowed his eyes as he eyed the creature, as he listened to Wonderwoman over the comms, "It has the basic characteristics of a cyclops, but it is larger, stronger, and much more human like than any I have ever encountered. I've certainly never encountered one wearing armor, much less clothes."

"As disturbing as that Is," Flash's voice was heard as he circled the monster from a distance on ground level, "It doesn't change the fact that it needs to be stopped. I've evacuated everyone in a one mile radius around him."

Superman nodded as he hovered over the scene, before turning to the lanterns, "Make sure he doesn't go far." They both nodded and flew down. the got on opposite ends of the creature and formed green walls around it, keeping it in its one mile radius.

The creature didn't seem to notice however, and kept attacking the ground in random places, switching after a few minutes of pounding, as if searching or the right spot.

Superman turned to Wonderwoman, "What's our best play here?"

She frowned at the scene below her, "Most cyclopes are savage, and know nothing but violence, but this one seems different, perhaps we can reason with it?"

He nodded, "Alright, you and Zatara try to reason with it, we'll keep our distance and intervene if necessary."

The amazon nodded and flew down to the creature, alongside the well-dressed magician, who floated down on a magical platform.

They soon hovered in front of the creature, "Halt!" Wonderwoman called out.

It stopped pounding on the ground and stood up at to look at the pair. They hovered in front of his eye, which was almost as big as one of them, "Who are you?" it asked in a deep voice, though laced with anger and impatience.

Wonderwoman straightened up, "I am Diana of Themyscira, and this is my associate Zatara. We cannot allow you to continue destroying this city."

The monster shook his head, "City? I… I can't stop! I have to destroy Gaea!"

Flash raised an eyebrow from his vantage point on a building, surveying the scene, "Gaea?"

Zatara spoke up, "Gaea is the Greek goddess of the earth, or more accurately she's the earth itself."

"That sounds like he's trying to destroy earth," Shazam commented, "Right?"

Wonderwoman glared at the creature, "We cannot allow you to destroy Gaea, stand down now, and perhaps we can help you."

The monster narrowed his eyes, "You protect Gaea! You're on her side?! Then I will hit you with a stick too!"

He bellowed out a war cry, that sounded remarkably like "peanut butter" to Diana, before swinging his club at her with surprising speed. She just barely caught it, sending a shockwave through the streets as she struggled to hold back the mass of wood. She looked over at Zatara, "Do something.!"

The magician nodded and started chanting a spell. When he released it however, nothing happened.

Diana looked at the stunned magician, "What's wrong? Why didn't it do anything?"

He shook his head, "It's like he's invulnerable to my magic! Or more like… my magic is incompatible with him!"

"Then clear the scene!" Batman barked over the comms, "Send in the heavy hitters."

With a nod, Superman and Shazam flew towards the monster, as Diana shoved the club away with a burst of strength and started punching him in the face. This sent him stumbling back a few steps, giving Superman and Shazam time to go for each of his arms, slamming him to the ground and holding him in place. Or at least they tried.

The monster seemed to finally snap out of its disoriented state, and roared in anger, before fighting the beings holding down his arms. To the entire leagues surprise, he actually managed to push the two titans back a bit.

"What the heck is this dude?" Shazam asked.

As he struggled against the arm, Superman grunted and called out, "We're gonna need some back up.

Martian Manhunter flew in as the cyclops screamed in rage and threw the two heroes away violently, sending them flying through buildings, and swatting Wonderwoman off of his chest.

The Martian then began to grow to match the creature's size and grapple with it. In the Batwing, the three heroes sat behind the dark night all thought the same thing. They pushed the eject button on their seats, causing panels above them to open up so they could be ejected safely, without disturbing the pilot. Green Arrow and Black Canary both pulled their chutes and aimed towards some buildings while simultaneously firing off arrows and sonic blasts to distract the enemy. Aquaman on the other hand, chose to forsake the parachute and instead plummet towards the ground.

The king of Atlantis summoned his trident midair and aimed it towards the ground, before he landed with enough force to put a crater in the street. He stood up and levied the trident at the creature, "Halt your assault fowl beast! Lest you face the wrath of the king of Atlantis!"

This seemed to catch the creature's attention, as he turned to look straight at Aquaman, almost forgetting his colossal Martian opponent. However, a punch brought him back, and he quickly grappled J'onn and threw him over his shoulder before making his way towards the king of the seas. Ignoring as Superman used his heat vision on him, and only flinching as Shazam fired his lighting at him. He swatted another attack from Wonderwoman away and finally towered over Arthur Curry, who was trying his best to look tough in front of the monster.

The Cyclops narrowed his eye at him, before widening it in apparent anger. He pointed a finger at Aquaman, "THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!"

Aquaman looked down at his trident, then back up at the cyclops, "Excuse me?"

"THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR STEALING!" the monster roared, before rearing back and punting the king of Atlantis as hard as he could, catching him off guard and sending him flying all the way back to the green energy wall, where he almost broke through it but merely slid down it in a daze.

The creature growled under his breath and started stomping towards the man, now fully concentrated on him. Batman began turning his Batwing around, preparing to drop a payload of ice bombs, but was distracted by a sudden thumping from the roof of his jet. Suddenly, a pair of sneakers appeared in front of his. Face, attached to what looked like a teenager wearing a simple shirt and jeans. He had a messy black hair over sea green eyes, and he was somehow managing to balance on the jet, despite the g force.

Batman could only stare at the boy, until he pulled out a three-foot sword out of seemingly nowhere. He quickly turned the controls and did a barrel roll to try to knock the kid off, as he was obviously more than he seemed, but the boy was quicker. He shoved his blade into the hull of the jet and held on tight, somehow managing to stay on. Batman finally stopped, allowing him to look up and glare at the caped crusader, though he did look a little green as well.

He stood back up and began slicing away at the cockpit window, though not to break through. when he was finished, he had carved into the window "ALL STOP I WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM"

Batman narrowed his eyes at the boy skeptically, but the teen simply stared back for a moment meaningfully, before jumping off the Jet.

Batman quickly turned the jet to see where the boy went, only to see a flash of black wings attached… to a horse? Flying down towards the ground.

He grimaced before speaking over to the comms, "Everyone stop attacking, fall back and observe. Somethings coming."

"What's coming?" Superman asked.

"I don't know, that's why I want you to observe." Batman responded. He then pushed his own eject button, letting the jet go to autopilot as he glided down towards the scene on his cape.

The other heroes all stopped attacking and simply watched curiously as a flying horse descended towards the Cyclops, who was still walking towards Aqualad, with his club ready, as it got closer, they saw that someone was riding on top of the horse-bird thing.

"By the gods…" Wonderwoman whispered as she watched. Superman, who was hovering next to her, looked at her curiously, "What?"

She looked at the creature in awe, "It's a pegasus! Mother told me that they had gone extinct…"

The pegasus made its way in front of the cyclops, who stumbled back in surprise at it, before gasping, "Brother!"

Many of the Leaguers had to do a double take, unable to see the resemblance between the man on the pegasus and the thirty-foot Cyclops. Superman used his super hearing to listen to what the man was saying

"…It's over buddy, she's gone. You need to calm down."

The cyclops looked confused, "But we were just fighting her. She's tricked you brother! We need to find her!"

There was a sudden blast of thunder after the man said, "I swear on the Styx that she can't hurt us anymore."

That seemed to convince the creature "She's gone…"

"Yeah buddy, she's gone."

The cyclops the surprised every Leaguer by bursting out crying, "SO IS ELLLA!"

The creature then started shrinking as tears cascaded from his eye like a river, as the pegasus landed in front of him. Once he was the size of a fairly tall man, the rider got off the pegasus and rushed forward to him as he fell to his knees, wrapping him in an embrace, and trying his best to comfort the crying creature.

The Leaguers took this as their cue to get closer, as the man continued to hold the sobbing monster, "Ella's gone! Father's gone! Everyone is gone!"

Everyone was fairly uncomfortable, and unsure of what to say, However, that was when Aquaman limped forward, leaning on his trident. Upon seeing the two, he groaned and readied his trident" out to the man, "I take it this monster belongs to you then?"

The teen looked back at him in anger, and the Cyclops sputtered out, "T-That guy has father's trident!"

The man sighed, "Tyson, I know this isn't easy to understand, but this is a different world. That isn't dads— "

"It is! I know godly weaponry brother, trust me!" the now named Tyson, insisted, though still unable to stop his crying.

The man slowly nodded and stood up straight, before turning to Aquaman. He then walked casually towards the king of Atlantis, causing all of the Leaguers to tense in anticipation but the teen simply stopped a few feet away from him. "Where did you get that Trident?" He asked flatly, gesturing to the weapon.

Aquaman held his head high, "It is the right of every King of Atlantis to wield the Trident of Poseidon."

The teen just nodded, "Yeah I guess that makes sense. Though I am wondering… does his son have the same, right?"

Arthur only had time to squint in confusion before his weapon flew out of his hand, and into the awaiting fist of the unknown teen, whose green eyes began to glow. Overhead dark clouds began to swirl in as he walked away from the stunned Atlantean.

He turned around to find Batman standing right in front of him, "Who are you?"

The man gestured to the Trident, "I was about to explain. My name is Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon… from another universe. I was told that dimension hopping is sort of common around here."

Batman narrowed his eyes, unflinching as rain started to pour from the sudden storm, "And who told you that?"

"A guy named Kaldur, who I'm pretty sure works with… oh," He had turned around to find Aquaman kneeling before him.

The king of Atlantis looked terrified, "Forgive me Lord, I did not rea—" He was cut off as the trident clattered to the ground in front of him.

He looked up in shock at Percy, who looked very uncomfortable, "Cool it man, I'm just a demigod, I'm not a fan of the whole "bowing" deal okay?"

He nodded numbly as the storm dispersed above them, no longer being summoned by the power of the trident. "I was just trying to make a point. But by the looks of it you aren't unfamiliar with the concept. Who are you?" He gestured to Wonderwoman.

She looked uncertain, but answered, "I am Diana of Themyscira. Daughter of— "

"Wait wait, let me guess," Percy interrupted, "Daughter of Zeus, right?"

She blinked, "Indeed, how did you know?"

He shrugged, "I knew a daughter of Zeus back on my world, she looked a bit like you. Plus, the odds were that you were his kid, he's a bit of a manwhore, no offense."

Before Wonderwoman could respond to that, not that she'd know what to say, he turned back towards Batman, "Back to the main topic, I ran into some of your friends at a place called project Cadmus, Kaldur, Robin and Kid Flash." He raised an eyebrow as he watched flash and Aquaman sigh, while Batman remained stoic, "We found some pretty interesting stuff there, so we should probably go meet them their soon."

"We?" Superman asked.

Percy rolled his eyes, "I sort of promised them I'd come meet you eventually to get myself, "Registered" or whatever, but then Robin got the call about Tyson here, so I had to leave them, I'm sure they're wondering where I went. That brings me to my final point: I will take responsibility to the trouble my brother caused."

"But Percy—" the cyclops looked like he was about to protest, but Percy snapped to look at him, "Quiet!"

The cyclops nodded sadly, which caused Percy's face to soften up, "It's okay man just, let me take care of this alright/"

As Tyson nodded, Flash spoke up, "I'm sorry, just time out real quick. You two are brothers? How does that work?"

Percy shrugged, "It's not too complicated. We're both sons of Poseidon, my mom was a human, his was a nature spirit."

Batman glowered, "Just because he's your brother doesn't mean you should protect him from the consequences of his actions. He should be held accountable so he can learn from his mistakes."

Percy glared back, "There is a lot of things you don't know, and it's a bit harder for him. He's only eleven after all."

"What?" Shazam exclaimed, "You mean he's not even full grown?"

Batman and Percy ignored him however, as the they were too busy having a stare down, Bat glare vs. wolf stare. It went on for a few moments, before finally, Batman grimaced, "Fine. The two of you will come with us to Cadmus, and then we will keep you at our HQ until we decide what to do with you. Understood."

The entire league looked at the scene in shock, "Did Batman just lose a stare down?" the original Green Lantern asked, Martian Manhunter leaned towards him, "I think he might have."

Percy nodded to the Dark Knight, "Fine by me. But one of you will have to carry Tyson, he's too heavy for blackjack to carry us both."

Batman tilted his head, before noticing the pegasus trotting towards Percy. "Is that his name?"

He raised a gloved hand towards the beast snout, and stroked it a few times before Percy scoffed, "Don't let him pet you!" at which point the horse yanked his head away.

Batman raised an eyebrow as the demigod climbed on to the pegasus' back, "He's obedient."

Percy narrowed his eyes as the Pegasus whinnied unhappily, "He's my friend, not my slave… Yes, I agree Blackjack, he is a bit of an asshole."

Batman glared at him, "You expect me to believe you can talk to horses?"

Percy smirked, "This horse can fly, my brother's a cyclops, and you're dressed like a bat. There's a lot of improbable things going on. Besides, Poseidon created horses, it only makes sense." He Then trotted away, leaving Batman to wonder how that "only makes sense"

He stopped by Tyson, who was flinching away from the dark skinned green lantern, who was trying to pick him up with his ring, "It's okay buddy, we're going with them."

The cyclops looked at him in surprise, "But they were attacking me…"

Percy nodded, "Yeah, but you were freaking out in a populated area, they thought you were trying to hurt people. They're actually the good guys, superheroes."

At this his eye started to well up again, "I was causing trouble for superheroes?" he buried his face in his arms, "I really am a bad monster!"

Percy got off his pegasus in a flash and was by his side in an instant, "No you are not! I know what was going through your head Tyson, you did what you thought was the right thing, they just didn't know that. Tyson, you and I, we're all we've got now. We have to stay strong for each other, understand?"

The cyclops nodded, "I understand brother, I'll try."

With that he was officially calmed down enough for the Lantern to lift him up in a construct. Soon the league was flying towards DC, following the incredibly fast pegasus, with the teen demigod on its back. They were all wondering about his past, why he was so angry, and above all: what kind of messed up shit he had been through to be able to stare down the Batman himself.

Percy POV 

I made to keep the green guy holding Tyson in my sight as I lead the superheroes back to D.C. I patted Blackjack's mane as well, "You're doing great buddy, just a little further and you can rest."

The pegasus snorted in exhaustion, _I think you owe me like… five dozen donuts after this boss._

I chuckled a bit and told him I'd do what I can. He truly did deserve it. I had never seen him fly as fast as he did today. Either he was working harder than he ever had before or… something else. Not to mention Tyson. The way Kaldur and the others talked about the League as if they were a huge deal, so either they overhyped them, or Tyson was more powerful than I thought. I knew he was stronger than the average cyclops but… it's something I'll have to look into.

There were a lot of things I was dreading looking into. The trident for example. That, plus the thunder, and Wonderwoman, confirmed that there was another cast of Greek gods in this universe. With my luck, it wouldn't be long before I met one of them. I was sure however, that they were not the same as the ones from my universe.

For one thing, Thalia couldn't punch a cyclops in the face like Diana could, last, I checked at least, she also seemed way more durable. That would point to the gods of this world being more powerful, but when I held dad's trident, it felt weak. The closest I had gotten to my father's power was sitting on his throne to get his attention, and that felt a thousand times more powerful than holding that trident. All I really felt was a boost in my powers over water. The Trident seemed to recognize me as the heir to the sea though, it was all so confusing.

I was freed from my confusing thoughts however, as we finally burst through the clouds over D.C.

As we soared towards Cadmus, Superman took the lead. He floated down to the ground in front of the teens, who looked to have been explaining what happened to the police. Superboy was hunched over on the steps. When he saw Superman land, he stood up excitedly, revealing the S on his chest that matched his fathers. He looked up at the man with a hopeful look, but Superman could only respond with a look of confusion and frustration.

"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked

"He doesn't like being called an it…" Kid Flash drawled.

"I'm Superman's clone!" Superboy declared, causing many of the Leaguers to look at him in shock.

"Alright, as shocking as this is, mind explaining what that is?" Robin asked, pointing to Tyson, who was sitting down in a green sphere that looked a little too much like a cell for my taste, but I wasn't going to push it yet. His eye was still red from crying.

I narrowed my eyes and stepped in front of my brother, "He also doesn't like being called an it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Robin shot back, "You can hear me now? The way you flew off without even acknowledging us before had me wondering."

Enough~ Batman stepped forward to break the awkward silence, "Talk. Now."

It took a while for them to explain everything, but at the end, exactly what I expected to happen, happened.

"You killed him?!" Superman glared down at me, while I stared back defiantly. In the background, the lanterns were carrying the creature's headless corpse out of the building, with looks of disgust on their faces.

"I did." I answered simply. "Don't worry, Kaldur here gave me the whole speech on how you do things around here. I'll do my best not to let it happen again."

"That's not good enough." Batman shouted, "If you've done it before chances are you'll do it again, who do you think you are that you can— "

"I'm someone who has been hunted by monsters since he was an infant." I growled back, "In my world, being a demigod means you have a powerful scent. Monsters will come from miles to get a piece of you, its either kill or be killed. I was only able to avoid them for so long because my mother married the scum of the earth to mask my scent with his filth. I've spent years living that life, so I'm "sorry" if I acted on instinct."

Batman gritted his teeth before turning away, giving his attention to the other teens, who had been watching the scene in shock. "As for you. Cadmus will be investigated, all 60 levels, but let's make one thing clear:-"

"You should have called!" Flash finished for him. He stood a ways behind Batman along with Aquaman, who was trying to look kingly while still giving me nervous glances.

"End results aside," Batman continued, "We are not happy. You hacked justice leagues systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."

Kaldur stepped forward, "I'm sorry, but we will."

"Aqualad, stand down." Aquaman warned.

"Apologies my king, but no." He responded, gaining a look of shock from the older man. "We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together, on our own we forged something powerful, important."

"If this is about your treatment at the hall," flash said, "The three of you—"

"The five of us." Kid Flash corrected. "And it's not."

Robin stepped forward, "Batman we're ready to use what you taught us, or else why teach us at all?"

Superboy, who still seemed pissed about Superman, spoke up angrily, "Why let them decide? It's simple: get on board, or get out of the way."

At that I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Gods help me but I liked Superboy's style. Unfortunately, this caught the Bats attention again, causing him to turn to glare at me, "You said five, I'm assuming he's your fifth."

My eyes widened as I realized where this was going. Before I could protest Kaldur spoke first, "He may be rough around the edges but he is powerful, skilled, and deep down, he has a good heart. He's already saved two of us at risk two his own life. He will be a valuable asset."

"Hold on a second!" I shouted, getting everyone's attention, "I never agreed to this! I've already been a part of a team before, it didn't go well, I'm not looking for a repeat."

Batman walked towards me, "You are new to this universe, an unknown. You claim you kill on instinct. Do you expect us to let someone with the instinct of a killer just roam free?" He asked, eventually standing in front of me to show how much taller her was, which was a few inches at most.

I shrugged, "If nothing comes after me I won't have a reason."

He shook his head, "Not good enough. Until we know for sure that you can be trusted, you have two options. A: you join this team where you will be under the supervision of the Justice League, and kept in check by those who we _do_ trust, or…"

He gestured to the side where Wonderwoman stepped forward, "You can come with me to the land of the Amazons, where you will reside under the watchful eyes of the gods."

I felt my face pale, "I'll stick with the Team then, hands down."

Wonderwoman frowned, "Really? I would have thought that—"

"That I would want to get to know the gods of this world? Maybe kiss their asses and go on pathetic little errands for them? I snapped at her, causing her eyes to widen, "No thanks. I've had enough of that in my old world. In fact, if you can deliver a message to your gods I would much appreciate it, "Stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you."

I turned away from the stunned princess and looked back at Batman, "But, Tyson stays with me, wherever I go."

He simply nodded, "That was the plan. You seem to be the best able to keep him in check."

I narrowed my eyes, "He doesn't need to be kept in check, he needs time to process. Before we were transported here, we were in the middle of serious battle… he lost his girlfriend during the process."

At this, I thought I saw Batman's gaze soften a bit. But it was gone as soon as it appeared, "Sounds intense. Care to share about it?"

"No."

"Why not? You realize it makes it sound like your hiding something."

I turned away angrily as I tried my best to keep the images of my friends dying from flickering violently through my head, "I'm not hiding anything! I'll tell you eventually, but right now it just…"

I was searching for the right words, but was surprised when I heard Batman find them for me, "It hurts to remember?"

I turned back to him, and simply nodded. He nodded back, "Fine, but you will tell us eventually, as well as how you got here."

I snorted, "Oh that's not hard. The three fates sent me here."

Wonderwoman looked at me with interest, "The sisters of fate did? Why?"

I shrugged, "They said I had fulfilled my destiny, but that there was more I could do in this world. Personally, I think it was just another ploy to screw my life up even more than they already had, but who knows."

Wonderwoman seemed to think a lot on this, while Batman turned to the other teens, "Alright then. You'll get your team. But for now, go rest. This was a long day." He turned to walk away, but not before saying, "Good work."

The others started high fiving each other, celebrating their victory. Kaldur laughed as Kid Flash hung his arm around his neck, before turning to me, and waving me over. I rolled my eyes and walked up to them. However, I didn't join in on the goofing around.

"I'm only going to say this once," at the sound of my voice their laughter died down, "It looks like we'll be working together, whether I want to or not. I will do my best to look out for you all, but be warned, if any of you should betray me, or my brother, I will not hesitate to do to you what I did to that thing back there. Remember that."

With that I turned and walked away toward Tyson, who was no longer in the green cage, and currently pestering a very uncomfortable Hawkgirl about her "Fancy stick". I was glad that he wasn't sobbing anymore, but I could tell from just looking at him that he wouldn't be the same as before, ever again.

I shook those thoughts out of my head, and focused on the present. Maybe finding out he was going to work with superheroes would cheer him up.

"We're gonna be superheroes!" Tyson chanted as he ran ahead of me in our new home. I sighed as he continued to repeat it like a mantra.

"He's quite excitable, isn't he?" Came the monotone voice of Red Tornado. I learned soon that he was in fact a powerful android created by a madman. All in all, pretty cool.

I shook my head, "Normally yes but his… this is something else."

It had been two days since we had arrived on the new earth. After the events of the first day, we had spent the night at their Hall of Justice. Tyson and I were both "Registered" when we got there, but I didn't tell them anything they needed to know. Once he had learned he was going to work with superheroes, Tyson acted like he had just won the lottery. He hasn't stopped smiling since, but I can tell that it's false. Whether he's focusing on something else to take away the pain, or just plain denying what happened, I knew that it would have to stop eventually. I didn't have the heart to do it yet though, because when the time came for him to accept his emotions, I knew he would never be the happy, innocent, little brother I knew ever again.

We were now in an enormous cave, the hollowed out inside of Mount Justice. I wasn't sure what it looked like outside yet, as we had used something called a Zeta tube to get here, which was basically teleportation, but way better than the Gods' flashing, as I didn't feel the need to throw up afterwards.

Tyson was busy looking at anything and everything he could find in the well-furnished cavern, so Red Tornado went ahead and showed me where we would be sleeping. I had personally requested we share a room for the time being, a request they didn't understand until he destroyed his bed in his sleep last night, reacting to a nightmare. The room was very large, with two king sized beds, one of them apparently reinforced with titanium. I only chuckled at that, knowing it wouldn't make much difference.

We returned to the main room to find Tyson fiddling with the TV. Red Tornado turned his head to indicate curiosity, "The Television is already operating at optimal condition."

Tyson popped his head up. "Oh, I know Mr. Robot sir, I was just upgrading it."

The robot walked forward, "How so?"

Tyson grinned at the question, and scrambled to the couch to grab the remote, he turned on the TV, "Now it can pick up every channel in the world, the quality is much better, and I've added surround sound."

The android stared at him, "We were gone for 6 minutes and 28 seconds."

I patted the machine on the back, "Cyclops are naturally gifted with building and fixing things, but I didn't know you knew how to work something this advanced. Did you learn it while interning at dad's palace or something?"

Tyson blushed and shrunk away, "No I just… looked at it for a while and figured it out."

I blinked, "Since when could you do that?"

Before he could answer, a robotic voice sounded, "RECOGNIZED, MARTIAN MANHUNTER. MISS MARTIAN, SUPERBOY."

I looked at Red Tornado questioningly. He simply nodded, "It seems your roommates have arrived. Why don't we go welcome them?"

I nodded and followed him, with Tyson to the teleporter room, which was wide and circular, almost like an arena. Out of the glowing gateway walked Superboy, wearing a simple pair of pants and a black T-Shirt with a Red S symbol printed on it. We gave each other a simple nod as the other two came through.

One was the tall, green, weird looking guy I met before. I heard that his name was Martian Manhunter, though whether or not he was actually form mars was still up for debate. Next to him came a more normal looking girl in a similar, though brighter, outfit. She had red hair and a pretty face, the only thing was that her skin was just as green as the man next to her.

Once everyone was here, I was about to introduce myself, but Tyson beat me to it by bursting out from behind me, "Hello!"

Superboy, having seen him before, only raised an eyebrow, but the girl reared back in shock, until Martian Manhunter put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look. They seemed to have some sort of mental conversation, before she looked back at us with a blush, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be rude— "

Tyson waved her off, "It's okay! I understand. Cyclopes get a bad from meanies like Polyfemur."

The girl looked confused until I clarified, "He means Polyphemus. Seriously dude you fought him, how could you forget his name?"

Upon looking at the clone, M'gann got a look I knew all too well, "H-Hi… I like your shirt."

He just looked at her, before muttering, "Thanks… where are we sleeping?"

"I will show you." Red Tornado volunteered, before leading the teen to his room.

I noticed M'gann watching him leave sadly, so I patted her on the shoulder, "Don't worry about him, he's just having trouble fitting adjusting, up until a few days ago he lived his whole life in a test tube."

She looked at me, "I guess we're all having that issue. This is my first time on Earth, it's still taking a lot of getting used to."

I was about to ask about Mars, when suddenly Tyson started sniffing the air in M'gann's direction. I looked at him curiously, "Tyson? What's wrong?"

He narrowed his eye, "She smells funny."

M'gann blushed at the comment, but I tensed up. That was the code Tyson usually used when there was a monster disguised as a human.

I turned back to her and drew my sword, making her flinch, "What's that?" behind her, I saw Martian Manhunter tense up as well.

I smiled warmly, "It's alright. I'm not trying to hurt you, I just want to see something. Can you touch the broad side of the blade?"

She still looked confused, but she nodded and reached out her index finger to touch Riptide, only for it to phase right through.

I sighed in relief as I lowered my blade. Martian Manhunter looked at the girl with interest, "Niece, you never told me you had mastered matter shifting."

She looked at her hand in shock, "I didn't know I had…"

I spoke up, "Sorry but I don't think you did. You went through the blade because it's made out of Celestial Bronze. It only harms gods and monsters. It passes right through mor—regular people."

The Manhunter nodded thoughtfully, "Interesting… however I'm afraid a blade like that won't be very effective in our world. Most of our enemies are far from divine."

I nodded, having long since realized that. I looked back at Tyson, "Anyways see buddy? She's not a monster."

He didn't look convinced, "She doesn't smell bad like a monster, but she smells different like… like she's hiding another form."

I looked at him curiously, "How could you smell that."

"Indeed," Martian Manhunter said, "It would not make sense for one to be able to smell a martians in disguise form, but it is true that that is not her true form."

M'gann looked at him in alarm until he said, "Her true form is more like mine. She chooses to look more humanoid to appease the populace, as well as for her own reasons."

She looked at me shyly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be deceitful. Shall I… change back?"

I widened my eyes, "Oh no! No no no that's not what I meant! Sorry we're being really rude here interrogating a girl about her looks, aren't we Tyson." He looked at me curiously until I looked at her meaningfully, and he noticed how upset she was.

Immediately his suspicious face melted away to a look of worry, "I'm sorry! I didn't want to be mean, I was just—"

"We're just a bit paranoid," I finished for him, "In our world monsters have a bad habit of sneaking up on you disguised as just about anything you can think of."

"Please don't cry!" Tyson begged, looking about ready to start sobbing himself.

M'gann noticed this and couldn't help but let out a little laugh, "You're really kind, aren't you?"

Tyson didn't seem to know what to say to that, but I did, "Yeah, his strength is only matched by his heart. Anyways we've kept you standing at the entrance, let's look around, we haven't gotten around to all of it yet either."

She smiled and nodded enthusiastically before turning to her uncle, giving him a big hug, making him smile. "I will come to visit you soon. I wish you luck M'gann."

She hugged him tighter, "I'll miss you."

After they had finished their goodbye, he exited via the teleporter, leaving her with us. We made our way around the cave, chatting about random stuff for a while.

"So just what does a monster smell like?" M'gann asked as we were walking through the halls

Tyson thought for a moment before responding, "Like a stinky sewer filled with rotten eggs."

She giggled at that before quieting a bit, "And what to I smell like?"

He brightened, "Kind of weird, but also kind of like Mr. Delphin!"

She looked at me for clarification, but I was having trouble controlling my laughter, "What? what does that mean? She asked worriedly."

Once I caught my breath I answered, "Delphin is the god of Dolphins, I only met him once but it's pretty good if you ask me."

She looked unsure whether to be flattered or offended for a moment but eventually settled on flattered.

Eventually we found her room, and left her to get settled, but as we were walking, Tyson stopped on one door.

I looked at him as he began to frown, "What's wrong?"

He just closed his eye for a moment before speaking. Only he was speaking in the voice of Superboy, "Goddamn asshole… keep me in some cave so he doesn't have to look at me huh?"

My eyes widened, "Tyson stop!"

He stopped and opened his eye and looked at me pleadingly, "He needs help."

I sighed, "I know buddy, but it's not our place. Besides, you shouldn't eavesdrop on him while he's in his room like that."

"I couldn't agree more." Said a very angry voice. I looked over to see Superboy standing in his doorway, glaring at us. I simply rolled my eyes.

"Dude I already told him not to do it again, are you really going to be one of those guys who hold needless grudges?"

He silently walked past me, hitting my shoulder as he went past, indicating that he in fact was going to hold a needless grudge. I was just sighing to myself when I heard Tyson's voice shaking, "I'm sorry Percy…"

He looked ready to cry, I was about to try to cheer him up when the voice sounded again, "RECOGNIZED, BATMAN, AQUAMAN, FLASH, AQUALAD, BLACK CANARY, ROBIN, KID FLASH."

After it was done I simply turned to Tyson, "Relax, he'll get over it…. Probably. Now come on, I think we're supposed to be a part of this.

We made our way back to the Teleporter room to find Batman standing in front of the others, a scrawny kid I was going to assume was Robin, a guy with red hair that had to belong to Kid Flash, an angry Superboy, and Kaldur who seemed to be the only one standing at attention. Behind them was flash and Aquaman, who gave me a respectful nod. Behind batman stood Red tornado and a very provocatively dressed woman.

Upon seeing me and Tyson, Batman gestured for us to come over and stand with them so we did. However, as we approached I noticed some nervous looks from the new guys towards Tyson, but they seemed content to remain silent about it since Batman hadn't said anything.

We took our places, at the end as Batman began his speech. "This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the justice league. We're calling it back into service. Since you all are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms." I noticed him eye more a little more than everyone else with that last statement. He gestured to the woman and the android behind him, "Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary is in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."

"Real missions?" Robin asked skeptically.

Batman nodded, "Yes, but covert."

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff," The flash explained, before pointing to the lightning symbol on his chest, "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests.

"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman continued "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."

"The seven of you will be that team." Batman stated.

"Wait, seven?" Kid Flash asked.

Batman gestured behind him, where M'gann was emerging from the doorway, shyly, "This is the Martian Manhunters niece. She will be joining you."

M'gann waved to the newcomers, "Hi."

"Liking this gig more every minute…" Kid Flash muttered as he practically drooled at her.

"And you've all met Percy. He claims to be a demigod. That's his brother Tyson, a cyclops, as you can obviously see. I'll let them explain more at their leisure but for now, I suggest you take this time to better acquaint yourselves. You will be spending a lot of time together after all."

With that, he, and the rest of the adults save for Red Tornado exited through the Zeta tube, while the android went off into the cave to do who knows what. Leaving us looking at each other awkwardly."

I decided to break the silence, "So… anyone like campfires?"

After a bit of work everyone was sitting around a campfire, outside the cave on the beach at the base of Mount Justice. And of course, it was uncomfortably silent."

Robin, who still insisted on sunglasses, even though it was getting dark, was the one to break it. "Alright, well maybe we should start by introducing ourselves, public identities' of course, and what we're all about. I'll go first: I'm Robin, Batman's protégé. I don't have any powers per se, but you really don't need any when you're properly trained, and properly equipped." He ended it by flashing one of his birdarangs.

"He's also known as the "Boy Wonder"" Kid flash whispered not very quietly to M'gann, who leaned away from him as he got to close.

"That was one headline!" Robin grumbled, "When are you going to let that go?"

"Try never!" Kid Flash laughed, "As I'm sure you all know, the names Kid Flash, I work with the Flash. I'm admittedly not as fast as the Scarlet Speedster, but I'm still faster than a speeding bullet. Any questions from the audience?"

Tyson raised his hand, as if he were in a classroom. Kid Flash raised an eyebrow, but upon a glance at my glaring face, he quickly said, "Yes you! big guy up front!"

Tyson smiled as if he were lucky to be chosen, "Why do you call yourself Kid Flash?"

Kid Flash, seemed to stammer a bit while Robin was failing to hold in his laughter, even Kaldur was smirking, "Well, uh, it's because I'm fast like the flash and… I'm a kid…."

Tyson nodded, "That's cool and all, but what about something a bit more original. Like Speedy!"

Kid Flash looked away a bit miffed, "It was already taken."

He turned to Superboy next, "How about you big guy?"

The boy had been staring into the fire, and looked up to say, "I was practically born two days ago. I'm not exactly overflowing with stories, or experiences."

Kid flash mouthed, "wow" before turning back to M'gann, "How about you Gorgeous? Anything you'd like to share?"

She brushed her hair out of her face, "Um, well my name is M'gann M'orzz, but you can call me Megan. I'm uncle J'onnz niece, but one out of hundreds. He wasn't sure which one to bring to earth, so he held a contest to decide, I entered, won, and… here I am."

Kid Flash grinned, "A champion huh? Cool. So, can you like, do all the things your uncle can?"

She shook her head, "I know a few things, but Uncle J'onn knows some very advanced techniques. But I do hope to one day be as good as him."

"I'm sure you will," I finally spoke up, almost startling the others, "But a better goal is to surpass him, why settle right?"

She smiled, "Yes I suppose you're right."

Kaldur spoke next, "I am Kaldur'ahm, but you may call me Kaldur, or Aqualad. I was lucky enough to be chosen by my king to fight with him on the surface world, I—"

Robin leaned forward, "Not to be rude, but can we finally talk about the one-eyed elephant in the room?"

I narrowed my eyes, "Depends on what you have to say."

Tyson leaned over to me, "I think he means me brother." I tried my best to keep my composure at that, unlike Robin and Kid flash, even M'gann let out a giggle.

Robin pulled himself together, "But seriously, Batman told me you took one almost the entire league, Superman included. First of all, how did you survive, and second of all, why were you rampaging in the first place?"

Everyone looked at him in interest waiting for his answer, even Superboy. Tyson was beginning to shrink away from the attention so I saved him. "We were in the middle of battle when we were transported to this dimension. It just took him a while to realize that the battle had ended."

Kid snorted, "Seriously? How can you not know that you're not in a battle?"

Tyson looked down, "I'm a little slow…"

"No, you're not!" I corrected him, making everyone flinch, "It happens to the greatest warriors. It's not uncommon to lose your mind a little when you're fighting desperately to survive." I noticed Kaldur nodding knowingly," Besides, you're still young, you shouldn't have had to be there to begin with."

Tyson frowned, "But I helped!"

I nodded, "Of course, without you I would be dead. What I mean is the gods should have been there themselves, but they hid like a bunch of cowards."

The others stared at me curiously, Robin asked, "What were you fighting that could scare a god?"

I stared at each of them for a moment, debating whether I should tell them, but then I looked at Tyson, and saw fear growing in his eye, so I turned back to them and shrugged, "A monster, unlike any this world has seen I'd wager. I don't mean to be secretive, but the experience is still fresh so—"

"Of course!" M'gann responded, "You don't have tell us anything you don't want to."

I nodded to her gratefully, but could tell by the looks on the others faces that they didn't really share the same sentiment. Robin however seemed to get over it pretty quickly, "So your demigod huh? Who's your godly parent?"

I was about to answer when Kaldur spoke up, "My king told me that you are the heir of Poseidon, correct?" I simply nodded, "He also told me you refused his worship."

This made the others do a double take, "Wait, you had a member of the Justice League ready to worship you?" Kid flash asked.

I sighed, "Yeah that was weird. I'm more concerned about where he got dads trident though, in my world he was rather fond of it, he wouldn't let just any mortal use it, no offense."

Kaldur seemed to study me as he spoke, "The Trident of Poseidon has been passed down to each king of Atlantis for centuries. Legend has it that Poseidon left it to us before the gods receded from the mortal realm. As far as I know, Wonderwoman is one of the very few people still in contact with them."

I blinked, "So they spend all their time cooped up in heaven? I think I'm beginning to like this world."

M'gann looked at me with concern, "You talk as if you hate them. Aren't they your family?"

I laughed out loud at that, not caring about the look of shock on her face as I asked, "You've read the Greek myths, right? If you have, you should know that my "family" is like ten kinds of messed up. The nicest ones I've met have all still threatened to incinerate me on at least one occasion. My father almost did on accident. The farther I can get from my "family" the happier I'll be."

The Martian girl looked at me sadly, "I'm sorry."

I waved it away, "It's fine, I should try not being so touchy about the subject."

Kid tried to change the subject, "So, Son of Poseidon, that must come with some pretty cool powers, right? I mean obviously the water thing is part of it."

I nodded, and to demonstrate for M'gann, lazily waved my hand towards the waves to my right, willing a wave to start growing out of the turf and begin to form a watery version of the Martian girl She seemed pretty impressed by this, as did the others. "I can control water to do basically whatever I want. It also heals me and makes me stronger when I'm in contact with it. I can talk to any horse like creature, and every creature of the sea through my mind. Which is how I was able to talk to Kaldur while we were trapped." I decided not to mention the skill I had picked up in the fight with Gaea, at least not until I had better control of it.

"So, wait," Kid piped up, "You can talk to fish," I nodded, "And you can talk to Kaldur," I nodded again now worried about where this was going. However, Kaldur sighed and cut him off early

"I am not a fish Kid." He stated it as if he had explained it way too many times.

Kid Flash held up his hands, "Hey I never said you were, it's weird though that you would just randomly claim not to be, am I right guys?"

Everyone silently agreed to ignore him and move on. Robin looked at Tyson, "So, what can you do? Other than turn huge and powerful enough to give Superman a hard time. Don't get me wrong that's a very valuable skill if you ask me, but Batman said we would be sent on Covert missions, and not to offend ,but you don't exactly seem the covert type."

Tyson looked nervous for a moment, before I patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay dude, just show them."

He looked at Robin, "Can I have one of your bird thingies?"

Robin looked uncertain for a moment, but I just nodded to him to let him know it was okay, so he took out a birdarang and handed to Tyson, who began to hunker down and tinker with it in his hands.

After a moment, he held it up to reveal that instead of a bird shaped boomerang, it was now bent and reformed into the shape of an actual bird."

Robin winced at the sight, "You do art, that's nice…" He trailed off as Tyson pressed a button on the birds back, causing it to whirr to life and begin flying away.

As everyone watched it go in awe, Kid flash whispered, "That doesn't obey the laws of physics at all…"

I chuckled at their reactions before explaining. "Cyclopes are the ones who created the weapons of the gods. Like the rest of his race, Tyson is incredibly gifted at crafting things, from awesome battle armor, to tiny, delicate tools. He'll probably be able to make you just about any tool you want if you ask nicely."

Kaldur was the first to speak, "That is very impressive. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we are very grateful to have you on our team."

Tyson smiled happily, rubbing the back of his head, as the others laughed and joked around some more. I watched the scene with a smile, reminded of the times I had with the Sev—

Shit.

M'gann looked at me with concern, "Percy? What's wrong?"

I soon became aware of the fact that there were tears streaming down my face. I stood up from the log I was sitting on, "I think I'm going to all it a night."

"Dude, are you alright? Do you need—"

I'm fine" I reassured Robin, " I just need to get some rest.

"Brother: Tyson asked, concerned " Should I come with you?

I shook my head, "No you stay here and have fun. You've earned it. I'm just tired, and havee aa bit of a headache."

I then turned and walked away, not interested in talking anymore. As i walked back towards the entrance to the cave, I again felt myself trying to stop the flickering images of my friends dying, over and over and over.

I didn't sleep that night.

 **Chapter 2!**

 **The next chapter might be a bit more focused on team bonding or something like that idk. Also, I'm brainstorming ideas for Percy's Superhero outfit, I will not just stick to regular Greek armor, as that is just lazy, and no matter what I don't want the plume helmet, cause really it just looks silly in my opinion.**

 **If anyone is wondering, there is something going on with Tyson, that I will eventually explain. Several things actually.**

 **As for the pairing, I'm leaning heavily towards Raven being with Percy, I can imagine a lot of awesome scenarios with them an besides: a god and a demon? It's just too good.**

 **What about Tyson though? Do you think he should be paired with anyone? Or would that be weird?**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm going to rearrange the order of the young justice episodes a bit, both to suit my story, and because of other reasons. It never made sense to me that they went on their first mission before training with Black Canary,**

Percy POV 

The next morning went off with a bang, by which I mean everyone was woken up by loud bangs and other various noises. I was lucky in that I was unable to sleep at all, instead choosing to search the internet regarding everything I didn't know about this new world. I was able to guess where the sound was coming from however, as Tyson had woken up around 5 and said something about starting a new project. Judging from the sound of a slamming door however, Superboy was not happy. I got up from my desk and went to run interference.

I opened the door to find him already storming towards Tyson. I was about to follow him when Miss Martian emerged from her own room in a purple pajamas, "What's going on?" she asked with concern.

I sighed, "Nothing if I can help it. Nice pajamas."

She smiled as she looked down, "Thank you! I worked hard on them. I wasn't sure if the Martian sense of fashion would translate to earth…"

I chuckled, "Don't worry about that stuff around us. If you want to wear stuff from mars go for it, now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make sure he doesn't get hurt."

As I walked away, I noticed her fly after me, her pajamas shifting form until she was wearing a new outfit, consisting of a red skirt and jacket over a white tank top. I raised an eyebrow but didn't question it, chocking it up to alien technology. "You're worried Superboy will hurt Tyson? He's a bit angry, but I don't think…" she trailed off as she saw laughing, "What?"

"It's not Tyson I'm worried about." I said simply. She nodded in understanding, before doing a double take, realizing what I meant. However, our conversation was cut short as we found the source of the noise, which now included the angry yelling of a certain clone. In one of the hallways, a door sized hole in the wall had appeared, leading to a rocky tunnel that seemed to go in a downward spiral.

"Was that there before?" M'gann asked. I simply shook my head and started making my way down. We followed the spiral for about three rotations before we finally emerged in a large cavern, and a sweltering hot one at that. In the center of the cavern was a pool sized pit filled with what looked like magma. To the right of it a large rock stuck out of the ground in what I could only describe as an anvil shape, with a blacksmiths hammer resting on top of it. Next to that stood a very ashamed looking Tyson, who stood awkwardly while Superboy yelled at him for being so loud.

I rolled my eyes and walked up to the two, "Hey! That's enough man, he's sorry, can't you tell?"

Superboy whirled on me, glaring at me, "I was in the middle of my first dream not under Genomorph control, only for it to be ruined by this freaks hammering!"

I clenched my fist, "Do _not_ call him a freak. If memory serves you were groan in a test tube from Superman's leftover dandruff, do you really want to go down the road of name calling?"

His glare only intensified at that, and looked like he was about to yell something back, when he froze at the sound of Tyson bursting into tears, "I'm sorry! Please stop fighting!"

Superboy stared back at the towering boy crying his eyes out, before looking back at me, glare no longer there, now replaced with stunned confusion. I just sighed, "There, you made him cry, are you happy now?"

I was surprised to find that he wasn't happy. He seemed to know he messed up, but after looking back and forth between us for a minute, he chose to storm out of the room, brushing past a stunned M'gann.

I shook my head in exasperation, before looking back at M'gann, who was still standing uncertainly in the doorway, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Y-yes, it's just… martians and Fire don't mix well. Why is there a pool of magma there? Where did this cave even come from?"

I just looked at Tyson, who was rubbing the tears out of his eye as he gave the answer I expected, "I built it. It's to heat the metals up..."

M'gann blinked, "Alone? When?"

He shrugged, "This morning."

"Where did you put all the rubble you cleared out?" She asked.

He pointed to the anvil, "I crushed it together to make the anvil, that way it shouldn't break easily."

M'gann seemed stuck on trying to process that, so I spoke up, "It looks like you're trying to make a forge. What for?"

He brightened up, "Well, you said Anaklusmos wasn't working on any of the people here, since they're all mortals, so I thought I'd make you a new sword! I just don't know which metal I should make it out of though…"

"Do you really need that much magma though?" M'gann asked?

Tyson looked away, actually blushing a bit. "I… wanted to take a bath…"

M'gann's eyes widened comically, "You take baths in molten rock?"

Tyson looked uncomfortable as he mumbled. "It kills 100% of all germs…"

I chuckled and explained, "It's fine M'gann, Tyson's a Cyclops, he's immune to fire."

She only nodded numbly, though still seemed horrified at the idea. I looked at Tyson, "The sword is a nice idea Tyson, but for now let's go back upstairs, and remember to be quieter in the mornings okay?"

He nodded, before seemingly realizing something !, "Oh no!"

He then turned and laid on the floor next to the pit, plunging his arm into the magma. At the sight, M'gann looked like she was about to faint, so I rushed over to support her in case she fell. After a moment of searching, Tyson pulled out a misshapen hunk of metal that looked vaguely like a steel version of Riptide. He frowned as he held the glowing, slightly melted blade in his bare hands, "Dang it! I was trying to make a rough draft…"

At this, M'gann finally passed out. Tyson looked at her in surprise, "Uh oh…"

I sighed, "it's okay, just come help me carry her back up."

He nodded and rushed forward. In the end, he elected to just pick her up and carry himself. As we made our way out of the tunnel, I told him, "It was really thoughtful of you to think of making a new blade man, but I don't know if it will be necessary."

He looked at me curiously, "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, "The League has made it very clear how they feel about Lethal force, and a sword is about as Lethal as it gets. It will probably do me some good to practice fighting without a sword anyway."

He frowned, "I see… but we should still make you something just in case! I don't like the idea of you not having a weapon to defend yourself…"

I nodded, "Neither do I."

He grunted in determination, "Then as soon as I find a suitable material, I'll get to work on it. Until then, how will you fight?"

I shrugged, "Water control, maybe some plain old fist fighting, also…." I made a fist and showed it to him, as I closed my eyes and concentrated. After a moment, it started to shake violently as I charged it up with… well I guess I'll call it "earthquake energy".

He widened his eye in surprise, "Wow! How are you doing that?"

I opened my hand, observing my vibrating fingers, "Dad was the Earth shaker after all, I think I'm channeling the power of an earth quake into my hand, I haven't tested it properly though, I was planning on trying it out on some dummies in the gym."

His eye widened in excitement, "Let's go!" he started to run off towards the gym, but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, he looked back at me, "What?"

I pointed at the girl in his arms, causing him to understand, "Ohhhhhh, right. We should probably put her somewhere comfortable."

I nodded, "Go put her on the couch, then meet me in the gym."

He rushed off excitedly as I smiled after him, before shaking my head and making m y way towards the gym.

The gym was a little different than most training centers. For one thing, the weights were way beyond what you'd find in a normal gym. They went up to as high as five hundred thousand tons for those with super strength, though they managed to keep them as small enough objects for one to reach their arms around. I guess they used some sort of super heavy metal or something, whatever it was, it was impressive.

There were also weird looking treadmills, a gymnastics area with an elaborate network of hanging rings and beams that they do the flips and on, I don't know what they're called. There was also a pretty advanced climbing wall. It didn't have Lava though, why did that disappoint me?

The thing I was looking for was a series of reinforced human sized dummies, designed to take a light hit from Superman. I got in front of one and got in my best fist fighters stance, I tried throwing a few jabs, which rattled the dummy a bit, but still made me frown. I had spent years focusing mainly on swordplay, having to get used to hand to hand wouldn't be easy.

Eventually Tyson found his way to the Gym as well and sat to the side to watch eagerly, "Okay go!"

I rolled my eyes, before closing them to concentrate. I imagined an earthquake that could bring down cities, and focused it into my closed fist. When I opened my eyes, my fist was once again shaking with the earthquake energy. I reared back, and punched the dummy in the face with all I had, expecting it to just shake a lot more than before. To my surprise, the dummy's head went flying off and imbedded itself into the wall.

I blinked as I looked at what I had done, "Okayyyy. I'm definitely not gonna use that on regular humans."

Tyson was a different story, "AWESOME!" He jumped to his feet and looked at the damage I had done.

"How did you do that?"

We both turned to see Superboy looking at me with narrowed eyes. I quickly made up a lie, "It was already breaking form when the League used to use it, I guess it didn't need a lot of force to break. What brings you here?" It was a terrible lie, and an even worse attempt to change the subject. I could tell by his eyes that he wasn't buying nit, but when Tyson stood up, he seemed to lose focus an

Actually, I uh… I was just ummm…"

I could tell what he was trying to do, and was about to suggest that the word he was looking for was "sorry" but to my surprise, Tyson spoke first.

"I'm sorry again about waking you up before!" He practically shouted, "I just get a little carried away sometime, but it won't happen again!"

Superboy's constant glare actually softened, "No I'm sorry! I haven't really mastered my super hearing yet, so I'm a bit more sensitive than I should be. I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did."

Tyson smiled widely, "It's okay! I forgive you, now we can be friends, right?"

Superboy was a bit taken aback by this, so I cleared my throat to make it clear what he was supposed to say ."Yeah, we can be friends man."

Tyson clapped his hands excitedly, "Yes! Want to train with us then?"

Superboy seemed to consider it for a moment, "Sure, I could use a spotter."

Tyson and him then went to the weights, and began doing sets, while I stayed with the dummies, working on getting the best out of my punches, but I soon realized that I really had no idea what I was doing.

"Hey Percy!" Superboy called out from where he was struggling with the 500,000 tons, "Do you lift?"

I shrugged as I walked over to him. Superboy nodded to Tyson that he was done, after which Tyson easily lifted the weight off him like it was a toy. Superboy watched this with a hint of annoyance but seemed to get over it quicker. I shrugged, "I've never really gotten into weight lifting. I was more focused on swordplay and agility."

He nodded in understanding, "Well, judging from how you were wailing on that dummy, it looks like you are trying to get into hand to hand, am I right?"

I nodded with a sigh, "Yeah, my sword doesn't really work on most things in this universe, and even if I used a new one, I've always trained to kill, not to incapacitate. So, I'm trying something new."

"Well if that's the case, you're probably going to want to work on upper body strength. Wanna try?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not. Let's start small though." I walked over to a bench press and laid down while Tyson and Superboy put on the weights. When they were finished I asked, "How much is it?"

"100 pounds to start off." Superboy stated, "Though I'm pretty sure you'll be able to go higher."

I nodded and took the barbell and lifted it easily, "Oh yeah we're gonna need more. I can barely feel this."

"On it!" Tyson said happily, the two then hefted a few more weights on. I laid back down again and tried again. This time I felt a lot more resistance, but still brought it down and up easily . "Still not enough, how much?"

Superboy shrugged, "About 500 pounds."

I blinked, "What?"

He shrugged, "It's not that impressive. The world record for a human is about half a ton."

I leaned back, processing that, "Really? Well, let's add more ."

We kept on adding more and more, until finally the two were started to get worried, but I reassured them several times that I was fine.

Superboy nodded, while Tyson looked a bit worried, "Are you sure brother? This is your first time after all…"

I nodded, "It'll be fine, if it goes wrong you'll be there to take it."

After the weight was set I took the barbell once again, "Here goes nothing." I took a deep breath, and lifted, brought it down, then back up.

When I set it back, I found arms stinging a bit, but other than that I was fine, "Okay this is getting crazy. How much was that?"

"About 3 tons." Superboy answered, "How did you not notice your own strength? I mean… what's the heaviest thing you remember lifting?"

Immediately I answered, "The sky."

It was his turn to blink, but before he could respond to that, Tyson's eye widened as he sniffed the air, "Someone's making cookies!"

At that I shot up as well, forgetting my strength for the time being, "Seriously?"

He nodded excitedly, "Come on! Let's go see! 

I quickly agreed and followed him out of the room at brisk pace, leaving Superboy standing in the gym, still processing how someone could lift the sky.

I followed Tyson to the kitchen, where we found M'gann mixing cookie batter. Tyson ran to the counter, "Thank you M'gann!"

She yelped at his volume, almost dropping the bowl before turning around, "Tyson… For what?"

He smiled, "For the cookies! They smell really good!"

She looked down at the bowl, "Oh yes, though they aren't ready yet. I thought it would be a good idea since the others were coming soon for our first official team meeting. I was just about to put them on the pan."

"Thank you M'gann." I said, "That was very thoughtful of you." I found myself biting my tongue from saying what I really wanted to say, for fear that it would weird her out, but luckily Tyson had no such problem.

"Can you make them blue?" He asked, surprising, "Like how Aunt Sally does!"

M'gann gave him a confused smile, "That's… an odd request. Who is Aunt Sally?"

I answered, "She's my mom, Tyson just calls her Aunt Sally. Making food blue is just a running joke she and I had, but don't worry about it, it's not that big a deal."

Tyson looked at me in shock, "But brother—"

"It's no trouble!" M'gann practically shouted, before realizing it and quieting down, "I mean, if it would make you happy I think I can find some food dye."

I was gonna tell her again that it wasn't that big a deal, but she was already flying towards the cabinets, searching for the dye. "Oh, here it is!" she exclaimed before floating back towards the bowl.

I simply sighed in defeat and took a seat at the counter, watching her work. Soon the newly blue cookie batter was being distributed onto the cookie sheet in small lumps before being put in the oven to bake. M'gann turned towards us proudly, "And now we wait!"

I nodded, "For how long?"

She looked at me in confusion, "Until they're done?"

I simply chuckled and got up from my seat, walking over to the microwave, I quickly put a timer on to remind us to check them, "You don't want to burn them by mistake, do you?"

M'gann hit herself on the head, before picking up the bowl and whisk, "Hello Megan! I'm so dumb. Thanks for that, now all that's left is to wash the… dishes…" She trailed off as she noticed Tyson's eye trained on the batter covered utensil. "Uh Tyson, are you okay?"

I smirked, "He wants to lick the whisk, isn't that right Tyson?"

Tyson seemed to notice M'gann's confused expression and turned away, blushing slightly, "No…"

To my surprise, M'gann actually giggled before levitating the whisk towards the sulking cyclops, "Here."

Tyson eyed it for a second, before snatching out of the air and beginning stripping the batter off a bit out of time, after a moment he remembered to say, "Thank you!" I only wish he had done it with an empty mouth."

I watched him walk off with his snack with a smile, before turning to M'gann curiously, "So you can levitate things too? How many powers do Martians have?"

She blushed a bit, "Well, I'm not as skilled as Uncle J'onn. At the moment, I've only mastered shape shifting, telekinesis, invisibility and—" I then heard her voice inside my head, " _Telepathy"_

I stumbled back as I clutched the sides of my head. It wasn't really out of pain, but surprise, M'gann put a hand on my shoulder, "Percy! What's wrong?"

I shook my head before standing up, "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that, try warning people before doing that alright?"

She didn't seem to get it, "But everyone on Mars communicates that way…"

"Okay, but this isn't Mars. Here it can be taken as an invasion of privacy. Is that all you can do with your mind?"

She shook he head. "I can do many things with the mind, like read thoughts, and manipulate memories…"

I pointed to her, "Yeah, remember to save that for the bad guys… you didn't look in my head, did you?"

Her eyes widened, "No! I wouldn't do that without permission!"

"Good." I said, "Because you don't have it. Ever."

She looked taken aback, "A-alright, if that's how you feel."

"Don't get me wrong, it's nothing to do with you, I just… I've seen a lot of things in my universe. Things I want to keep in the other universe. Understand."

She nodded, "I understand, I have somethings I'd like to keep in the past as well."

I smiled, "Good then. But really, that telekinesis thing seems really useful. Silent communication on the battlefield would be a huge tactical advantage."

She smiled, "Then I shall bring it up to the team later."

I smiled, "I'll back you up when you do."

Then Tyson rushed in and held out the now sparkling whisk, "Done!"

M'gann looked at the whisk suspiciously before levitating it towards the sink. I gave her a thumbs up to indicate that that was the right decision. Then Tyson went to the couch to watch TV.

I felt M'gann tap me on the shoulder as I was watching my brother. I looked over at her and saw her tap the side of her head, asking for permission to use telepathy. I nodded and she spoke, " _I don't mean to offend, but why does Tyson…"_

" _Act way younger than he looks?"_ I guessed. M'gann nodded and I explained, _"Cyclopes age different than humans. He may look like an adult, but he's really only 11 years old. I know that isn't easy to understand but—"_

" _Oh no."_ She interrupted, _"I understand. Martians age differently as well. In earth years, I'm 48."_

My eyes widened at her, _"Oh."_

"RECOGNIZED, KID FLASH, AQUALAD, ROBIN."

I looked at her as she perked up, "Looks like they're here." We turned to leave but the timer went for the cookies went off, causing us to stop and look at each other. I spoke first, "Go. Welcome them in. I'll check on them.'

She nodded and left, leaving me to pull the cookies out. I put on some mitts, and opened the door to reveal a perfect batch of blue chocolate chip cookies. I eagerly pulled it out and put it on the counter. In a moment, the smell drew Tyson in from the living room to stare at the cookies like an explorer who just found the holy city, "They smell so good…" He reached out to have one, but I smacked it away, causing to look at me in shock.

"Wait until M'gann gets back with the others. Worst case scenario we can beg her to make more later, we'll be living with her after all." I scolded him. He grumbled but nodded.

Suddenly, there was a blur of red hair, that stopped to reveal Kid Flash in civilian, eating a cookie happily, "Oh my god! These are amazing."

I glared at him in annoyance, "Really dude? I just got through telling Tyson to wait for the others."

The speedster shrugged, "I have a fast metabolism."

M'gann then arrived with the others and Superboy finally came out of the gym, "Are those cookies I smell?"

"They are!" Robin said happily, also in civilian clothes, "They smell awesome! But, why are they blue?"

M'gann opened her mouth to explain, but Tyson beat her to it , "Because blue is best!"

He then looked at me questioningly as everyone else took a cookie. I sighed and nodded, "Go ahead."

He smiled and grabbed up and started devouring them, causing the others to chuckle, "I think you might be able to give KF a run for his money." Robin commented.

Kid Flash shook his head as he savored the taste, "If these are the dish, I wouldn't mind losing that competition."

"They are very delicious M'gann." Aqualad complimented as he ate his own cookie. Superboy simply grunted in agreement as he had his own.

"Thank you Aqualad, I tried my best." She smiled.

"We are off duty," He said, "You can Kaldur'ahm, or as my friends call me, Kaldur."

"I'm Wally," Kid Flash stated flirtatiously, "See I already trust you with my secret identity. Unlike Boy Wonder, the big bad Bat forbade him from telling anyone his secret identity." Robin didn't respond.

"Percy? Aren't you going to have one?" M'gann asked.

"Have one Brother!" Tyson exclaimed, causing crumbs to spew out of his mouth, "They taste just like Aunt Sally's."

I very much doubted that, but I chuckled and said, "Fine, but only if you close your mouth."

He nodded dutifully and chewed silently while I reached for one hesitantly. I brought it to my mouth, and closed my eyes as I took a bite.

Suddenly I was back at my old apartment, sitting at the dinner table as mom worked in the kitchen. I looked over at her, "Mom?"

She turned and saw me. She gave me her beautiful smile and said, "Percy? Are you okay?"

I then opened my eyes and found myself back at the counter with the Team, though they were now all frowning at me, "What?"

"We asked if you were alright." M'gann explained.

"Yeah, you took one bite of that cookie and zoned out of it then you started crying." Robin said, I touched my face to find that I did in fact have tears streaming down my face.

"I mean, these are good," Kid joked nervously, "But I'm not sure they're _that_ good?"

"Brother?" Tyson was looking at me, his eye full of concern. I quickly willed the tears to dissolve from my face and gave the best smile I could muster, "I'm alright, I was just, not all there for a moment."

"Tyson mentioned an "Aunt Sally"," Kaldur noted, "Was she someone special to you?"

I sighed and looked down at the counter, smiling sadly, "Yeah, she was my mom. I don't know how but these cookies taste just like the ones she used to make. I didn't think it was possible."

M'gann's cheeks turned red, "I-I just mixed and added the ingredients in a way that I thought would best stimulate the human senses, I promise I didn't—"

"Relax," I stopped her, "I know you didn't read my mind for it, you said you wouldn't and besides, I never learned the recipe myself."

The room was silent for a moment, before Kid flash spoke up, "She must have been pretty amazing to make these on her own. You sure she wasn't a goddess of cooking or something?"

I actually let out a laugh at that, "I'm sure, though that would be a good domain for her."

"What was she like?" M'gann asked quietly.

Tyson answered first, "She's the prettiest mortal I ever saw! And the nicest too!"

I nodded, "She was a queen among women. At least that was what my dad used to say."

"Praise from a god," Kaldur commented, "That is not easy feat."

I nodded, "You can say that again. Not only that but he wasn't even supposed to have had me, there was a pact the Big Three made to not have any more demigods, but he just "couldn't help himself". "

"The Big Three?" Kid Flash asked.

"Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon." Kaldur explained, "The most powerful of the Gods."

"To catch the eye of one of the most powerful gods…" M'gann sighed, "She sounds like an amazing woman."

I nodded, "Yeah, and I'm never going to see her again."

That caused an awkward silence. Tyson put a hand on my shoulder, "Brother…"

"Sorry!" I looked back up with a smile, "That got depressing. It's fine. I know she was safe when I left, I made sure of it. Why don't we talk about something else, like Robin's unreasonable insistence at wearing sunglasses indoors?"

I knew that they knew I was trying to change the subject, but luckily, they were okay with it, "Hey I am not going to apologize for protecting my identity." Robin

I nodded, "Oh right, your "secret identity". I get the concept, but do you really have to wear those ridiculous costumes?"

Robin looked stunned while Kid glared, "Ridiculous, try awesome! A super suit is important for every crime fighter!"

I snorted, "Why? To help attract attention. Look I don't mean to offend, but I just don't get why every hero needs a gimmick. I mean, Robin, you're supposed to have this stealthy ninja deal, right?" He nodded, "So why the bright colors? Doesn't that make you easier to spot?"

He shrugged, "Maybe, a bit, but it's the colors of the Robin. It's why Batman puts on the cowl. Nowadays, all you have to do is whisper the word Bat to send most criminals running scared."

"Yeah same with the lighting," Wally argued, "Plus, they're functional. My suit won't burn up no matter how fast I go, unlike regular clothing, and it has body armor for stuff like Blockbuster."

"Blockbuster?" I asked.

"That thing you decapitated." Superboy explained.

"My suits similar" Robin said, "Though since I'm a more capable fighter, it focuses more on stopping bullets than a concussion."

"Hey I can fight!" Kid complained. Everyone ignored him.

"Okay but what about the cape?" I asked, "Don't tell me its bulletproof too."

Robin shrugged, "Not entirely, but it can be used as a glider."

I blinked, "Oh…. What about you Superboy, do you have a costume in the works?"

He leaned back against a wall, "I'm fine the way I am. No capes, no tights, no offense."

I chuckled and reached out my fist for a fist bump, but he only stared at it curiously, I sighed, "You put your fist against it, it's called a fist bump."

He hesitantly balled up his fist, before hitting it against mine. I would have celebrated, but I was too busy clutching my hand. Robin laughed, "It helps that he's invulnerable Percy. You? I'm guessing not so much. What are you going to do when the bad guys start shooting at you?"

After the pain finally settled I answered, "Probably dodge? Maybe make a water shield? I'm more of an in the moment kind of guy."

Robin narrowed his eyes while Kid Flash widened his, "Careful Perce, you're talking to the student of the master of over preparedness. I heard that Batman has a plan for literally any scenario."

"That's impossible," Robin corrected, "He does have one for most of them though. You should consider investing in some protective gear."

I groaned, "Yeah with what money? Tyson and I didn't come to this world with money lining our pockets."

He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "I have a significant allowance, I can help you out—"

"You are just dead set in putting me in tights, aren't you?" I joked, making him almost burst a blood vessel.

"They're NOT—"

"Okay!" M'gann interrupted, "Why don't we do something else to cool off? Seeing as the cookies are gone…"

We all turned to see Tyson munching on the last bit of the cookies, is mouth stuffed. Once he saw us staring, he swallowed with a blush, "Sorry…"

M'gann suddenly perked up, "Hello Megan! I know what we can do!"

She then flew out of the kitchen, "Come on!" we all shrugged and followed her through the cave, and eventually taking an elevator to the upper levels of the mountain. The doors opened to reveal what looked like an airplane hangar, with a weird, red, egg looking object sitting in the center. She walked forward proudly, "It's my Martian Bioship!"

We all looked at it for a minute, but no matter how long we did, it still looked like an egg. "Cute, Kid commented, "Not aerodynamic, but cute."

She giggled, "It's at rest silly. I'll wake it." She waved her hand over it, causing it to expand and transform into a wicked jet-like vehicle.

It then levitated a bit and turned around, before seemingly, growing a set of stairs leading to the cockpit, "Are you coming?"

The others eagerly climbed up the stairs, Tyson running in first, while I stayed on the ground looking up uncertainly. M'gann noticed this, "Percy? Are you alright?"

Finally, I sighed, "Yeah. I'm coming."

I entered to cockpit to see chairs grow out of the floor, in a really unsettling way I might add. One chair at the front was a bit bigger than the others, which is where Tyson sat down, giggling as a seat belt formed over him, "Cool…"

"Ready for launch?" M'gann asked, sitting at the pilot's seat, "Red Tornado, open the hanger doors please."

I guess she was on some sort of intercom system or something because immediately the double doors slid apart, revealing the exit near the top of the mountain. Then we rose up, and took off.

Immediately I regretted my life choices as I doubled over. However, the others didn't seem to notice at first, as they were having fun watching Miss Martian turn into female versions of themselves. After she did Kid Flash Tyson clapped enthusiastically, "Do me next! Please!"

She seemed hesitant for a moment, before shifting her form to a larger, more muscular female form wearing Tyson's shirt and pants. She had curly brown hair on her head, and a big brown eye, which she blinked a few times in confusion, "Wow… I have no depth perception."

Tyson was staring at her in wonder while she held her hand up in front of her face, bringing it closer and closer until she poked herself in the eye. Wally chuckled, "Yeah how does that work exactly? Do you have like, magical depth perception?"

Tyson shook his head, "Nope, I just hear how far away things are."

Robin perked up, "Like echolocation?"

Tyson frowned, "What's that?"

Robin just sighed in defeat, while Tyson shrugged it off, "Oh! Do brother next!"

The others seemed to agree until they looked at me, "Or maybe not," Wally noted, "You look about as green as Miss M dude, are you alright?"

I waved them off, "I'll be fine, just not a fan of flying is all."

"But you seemed just fine when you flew off on that pegasus," Robin commented, "If anything you were going way faster on that."

"Yeah, and speaking of, where did that thing go anyway?" Wally asked, "Does it only appear when you call it or something?" He asked semi-jokingly.

I shook my head, "Blackjack is a free spirit. He usually hangs around until I call him, doing whatever he wants. And I'm only okay riding him because he's part horse, which is technically my father's domain, it's a compromise. And I think I'm about to throw up, M'gann could you like, open the floor up or something?"

She nodded with a frown and opened the floor up to see the sea below us. Watching that was comforting, I put my fingers to my mouth and whistled as hard as I could. Then I waited."

After a moment, a flash of black appeared under the ship, Blackjack whinnied curiously at me, _Boss! What are you doing in that thing? Also, what is that thing?_

Before I could answer, M'gann spoke first, "He calls you boss?"

I looked at her with interest, "You can hear him?".

She nodded, but looked confused, "Most animals don't think in spoken languages, horses included, but he is. I guess since he's a pegasus… nevermind, I don't get it at all."

I shrugged, and looked back down at Blackjack, "Catch me alright?"

 _Got it boss!_

I then turned to M'gann and pointed at my head meaningfully, before dropping through the hole in the floor, onto Blackjack's back.

I immediately started to feel better once I was on the Pegasus, and heard the panicked thoughts of M'gann, " _Percy! Are you alright? Can you hear me?"_

 _Geeze lady, keep it down!_ Blackjack exclaimed _I don't know how you're doing this but you're way too loud! I wouldn't drop the boss…_

" _He's right M'gann, I'm fine._ I reassured her _And you were a bit loud…_

" _Sorry! I—wait a minute… Percy Red Tornado just sent us an alert, there's an emergency alarm at the Happy Harbor power plant. We need to go investigate, covertly. So…_ As she was talking, the jet slowly turned invisible before our eyes, _do you think you can still follow?_

I was about to respond that no, I can't follow an invisible jet how the hades would I be able to do that, when Blackjack answered _We can do it, go on ahead the boss and I will follow._

" _Alright."_ She responded and started flying off, to my surprise, Blackjack seemed to know where he was going, "How are you doing that? Don't tell me you can smell it or something…"

The pegasus snorted, _Please Boss, that's ridiculous. I can see the air moving around it._

I deadpanned, "How is _that_ not ridiculous?"

Our conversation was put on hold however as we arrived at the power plant. " _Any idea what set off the alarm?"_ I asked.

Before she could respond, the answer came barreling towards the ship, in the form of a massive tornado. It sent M'gann's ship careening into the ground, while Blackjack was fast enough to get out of the way, before landing next to the crash. I hopped off and ran to the ship, but the door opened before I could arrive, letting the other team members, climb out.

"I don't feel so good…" Tyson mumbled, holding his stomach, ( **BUT HE STAYED INTACT!)**

What was that?" M'gann asked.

"I don't know," Kaldur responded, "Robin…" he trailed off as he realized that the kid was already gone, somehow without any of us noticing.

"He was just here!" M'gann protested. Over at the warehouse, several window began to break, leading us to find Robin doing battle with some kind of armored figure, who blasted him back with what looked like his own personal tornadoes.

As he landed in front of us, Superboy landed next to him, "Who's your new friend?"

Robin grumbled, "Don't know yet. But just a warning: he plays rough."

The man spoke in a deep voice, "My apologies. You may address me as Mister Twister.

Superboy gave a growl and charged forward, glancing to his right and find Tyson charging with him. However, it didn't make any difference as Mister Twister blew them both away just as easily as he did Robin. Kaldur and the others then tried, with Wally charging first, only to be thrown away, and M'gann and Kaldur following suit. Then it was my turn.

He chuckled as I approached and gave a blast of wind straight towards me, only for it to just flow past me, ruffling my hair a bit. He seemed taken aback, but then amped it up, sending an even more powerful blast towards me, only for me to just stand there smiling. I the ran forward as he was caught off guard, and delivered the strongest punch I could muster to his face… only for it to clang against the metal ineffectively, and hurt my hand just about as badly as with Superboy's fist.

As I clutched my fist in pain, I tried charging up my other fist with earthquake energy, but I wasn't fast enough. Mister Twister chuckled, "Just another child after all." He then swatted me aside with a powerful strike, sending me flying out of the warehouse near where Wally landed. He was just getting to his feet, "Same happen to you?"

I groaned as I felt a few of my ribs cracked, "Not exactly.

Then Twister burst out of the warehouse roof, throwing Superboy and Martian Manhunter to our feet while Robin, Tyson, and Aqualad ran outside to join us, "insignificant children!"

I gritted my teeth at being called a child but kept it internalized, "What do you want?"

He chuckled, "Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a _real_ hero to arrive." He then turned and went to fly away.

I glared at him as he went, but then turned to M'gann and Superboy, who were both already getting to their feet. I called to M'gann, "Could you read his mind?"

She frowned and shook her head, "I tried, but it was like there was nothing there…"

"Like an android?" Robin asked, "I'm pretty sure computers can't be read with telepathy."

M'gann hit her head again, "Hello Megan! Mister Twister is Red Tornado in disguise! What other android do you know that can make tornadoes?"

"But why?" Kid Flash asked, "He couldn't have gone bad or something, could he?"

"He's testing us." Kaldur grumbled, "Speedy was right, they are just keeping us in our place."

"Woah woah woah!" I held my hands up, drawing everyone's attention, "That's a lot of conclusions to jump to from just one theory."

"What else could it be?" Robin asked, "another creation by T.O. Morrow or Dr. Ivo?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea who either of those people are, but I do know that whoever that was, they weren't interested in holding ba—achk" I yelped a bit as my broken ribs poked into my organs."

The rest of the team rushed forward, asking if I was okay, I just nodded and looked at Aqualad, "I'm going to need to steal some of that water."

He just nodded and let me pull the water out of his container as I chuckled, "I should probably get myself one those for myself." I coated my sides with the water, sighing as it began to heal the broken bones.

"Yeah you could add it to the design of your super suit, you know the one that will keep you from breaking your ribs." Robin said meaningfully.

I glared at him, "You're a really sore winner you know that?"

"How did you stay on your feet back there?" Superboy asked, "It was like the wind didn't effective at all."

I got up, fully healed, "I guess because my dad is usually the one making the storms…. That actually gives me an idea."

"Are we going to smash him?" Tyson asked hopefully.

I nodded, "If it goes well."

"But what if it really is Red Tornado?" Wally asked, "I don't think the League will be happy with us destroying him."

I shrugged, "If it is, then he should have enough sense to tell us before we deal the final blow. Either way, he's going to regret underestimating us.

Third person POV 

As Mister Twister continued his rampage through Happy Harbor, he suddenly felt a few objects get imbedded in his back. He lazily flicked the birdarangs away before they detonated, before turning to find Robin standing there, a utility belt now strapped across his chest. Wally sped into view with his goggles, Superboy landed next to them and Miss Martian appeared into view, the android scoffed "I thought you all would have learned your limitations by now."

"You'd think that." Robin responded, "But it turns out one of us had a few more tricks up his sleeve. All he needed was time to charge it up."

Mister Twister chuckled and raised his hands in the air, creating a swirl of storm clouds over him, that crackled with lightning, "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

That was when he heard it. Having previously been facing the ocean, he hadn't noticed the miniature hurricane forming behind him, courtesy of the son of Poseidon. The massive cyclone of wind, rain and debris put the androids to shame, and at the center, Percy started running forward, moving the hurricane to engulf the android. The larger storm quickly absorbed and obliterated the smaller one. Mister Twister grunted as he fought against the new winds, "Foolish children! You're more destructive than I am!"

"Check again!" M'gann taunted. Mister Twister squinted through the rain to find that it was true. Nothing in the harbor seemed to be affected by the storm, not even the other heroes. It was like the winds were purposefully avoiding causing trouble for anything but the android.

Of course, this level of control was a new one for Percy, and it was beginning to take its toll. "Now!" he shouted through clenched teeth."

All at once the team began their assault on the android, pushing him further and further back through the harbor. It took all Mister Twister had to block or dodge each of Superboy's crushing blows, or Miss Martian's hailstorm of heavy objects, and finally Robin and Kid Flash's surprise attacks as they used the confusion to sneak around, getting well placed kicks in every once in a while, to the android's knees or back.

It was really impressive of the Android that he lasted as long as he did. Every blast of wind he tried to create was instantly nullified by the much more powerful storm, effectively taking away his ranged attacks. The team drove him further and further back, with Percy making his way with them from the eye of the storm. Yet somehow, he managed to hold them all off, until finally Percy couldn't take it anymore, the strain of the storm apparently becoming too much, and he fell to his knees, the storm evaporating around them.

Mister Twister laughed again, "All of that and still you fall short. You truly are underwhelming."

Robin grimaced, "Hey, I'll have you know we are perfectly whelming!"

The android shrugged, "Whatever. I will say you have proved yourself a nuisance, I suppose I'll finish you off now." He raised his massive arms once again, aiming at the now tense heroes, but paused when Percy started chuckling from his spot on the ground, "What is funny?"

Percy looked up, "Look behind you."

Mister Twister turned to find himself on the edge of the harbor, the sea just behind him. He turned back to ask what the demigod's point was, when suddenly the sea exploded behind him, a massive wave rearing up behind him and crashing down towards him.

The android was engulfed in the wave, causing the heroes to let out a breath of relief, until they looked closer and saw the android still standing inside the torrent of water, protecting himself with a constant stream of wind surrounding him like a bubble.

Percy, now visibly caked in sweat, kept up the assault of water, pressing further and further in towards the android, but not making much progress.

If Mister Twister could grin he would be right now, "Impressive! Truly! Perhaps I was wrong about you! unfortunately, it still isn't enough to stop me."

"Maybe," M'gann yelled over the noise, "But in all of your talk of how insignificant we are, you made a crucial mistake."

The android struggled against the water, before regaining his footing, "Oh? And what is that?"

Kid Flash sped to the front with a crooked grin, "There are seven of us dummy!"

Mister Twister froze at that, before moving to look for the other two, but was too late. For in the torrent of water surrounding him swam Tyson and Aqualad, who had been getting in position Kaldur's cloaking spell which, of course, only works in water. Now that they were in position, Tyson grabbed Kaldur and threw him with all his might out of the water, sending him hurtling through the wind barrier with ease. The Atlantean had his water blades out in front of him, effectively allowing his body to be used as a javelin, as he used the force of Tyson's throw to drive his blades into the android's shoulders form behind, before activating his eel tattoos and sending electricity directly into the robot. This caused Mister Twister to howl in agony, before his glowing eyes went dark, and the now broken husk fell to its knees.

Percy released his hold of the water with a gasp, falling on his hands and knees. He was vaguely aware of the small man that emerged from the android, stammering, "Foul! I call foul!"

He was paying attention however when M'gann smashed him with a rock, against Kaldur's scream of protest. He let out an exhausted sigh of relief however when she lifted the rock to reveal the shattered body of yet another android. "This is why I couldn't read his mind." She declared.

Wally sped to the body and picked up a robotic eye, "Cool, souvenir!

That's when Tyson rushed over to me, "Brother! Are you okay?"

Percy nodded, "I'm alright, I just need some time to recharge…"

"Dude!" Wally exclaimed, "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

"It was quite impressive!" Aqualad agreed, "I don't think even Queen Mera could accomplish such a feat!"

Everyone on the team crowded around Percy, commending him, except for one, Robin. "Why didn't you tell us you could do that?" He asked, causing the others to go silent.

Percy stared at him, "The same reason you were so desperate to know my powers. Trust. You didn't trust me, and I didn't trust you."

He didn't back down, in fact he walked closer and got in my face, "You must realize now that we can't possibly trust you now! Who knows what else you could be hiding!"

Percy was about to shout back, but to both of their surprise, M'gann stopped them "With respect Robin, that comes from someone who won't even trust his team to know what his eyes look like."

He looked at her in shock, "That's different! You know why I do that! This is—"

"Understandable as well," Aqualad said, "It wasn't ideal, but what would you do if you had just arrived at an entirely new universe?"

Robin looked around in confusions, eventually resting on Wally, "Kid?

Kid flash sighed, "You know I'd trust you with my life man, but they have a point."

Percy spoke up again, much calmer now, "If it makes it any better. The only power left that I haven't told you about, is this." He held up a fist, and caused it to start shaking violently,

Wally's jaw dropped, "Please tell me you're not a speedster, that's my thing man!"

Percy shook his head, "My father was called many things, one of them was the Earth shaker. Apparently, I can channel the power of an earthquake into my hand, and deliver it in a punch."

"Why didn't you use that against Mister Twister?" Superboy asked, "It seems powerful."

"I tried, but I only just found out about it recently. I'm still not really efficient with it, Remember the dummy head?"

His eyes widened, "It wasn't broken?"

Percy nodded, before turning back to Robin, "I don't expect you to just believe me, but—"

"I don't." He interrupted, causing me to nod, he continued however, "But I do believe in them." He held out a hand, causing me to smile and take it as he helped me up.

Percy sighed, "Good. Glad we got that out of the way. Because I'm about to pass out."

He blinked, "What?" But Percy had already collapsed.

Percy awoke on the couch back in Mount Justice. He sat up to see Robin, KF, and Aqualad sitting on the floor watching TV, trying to figure out why there were so many channels available. They were all wearing their uniforms. He spied M'gann in the kitchen, also in uniform, apparently mixing more cookies, which he had nothing against.

Finally, Aqualad noticed he was up, "He awakens."

The others turned to look at him as he stretched, "How long was I out for? And what's with the outfits?"

"A couple hours, and the suits are mandatory for training with Canary."

Percy blinked. "Who?"

Wally was suddenly next to Percy , "Black Canary, she was introduced on the first day. She's the most bad ass hand to hand combatant in the world, not to mention a total babe!"

Just then M'gann walked in, taking her oven mitts off. Wally quickly changed his tune, "I mean, she also very well educated though. You know me, I like the smart ones."

M'gann giggled, "Oh don't worry Wally, by now I don't need to be psychic to know what you're thinking about."

As every laughed at the now slumping speedster, Percy couldn't help but clap, "Look at you Miss M, throwing shade! I didn't think you had it in you."

M'gann blushed, "Sorry, it just slipped out…"

Percy smirked, "Please do not apologize for that, that was golden. Anyways, why are we training? Didn't we just take down a bad guy? All in a day's work and all that?"

Robin shrugged, "The job never really stops I guess. That might be a lesson they're trying to convey. Or maybe they just hate us.

I nodded, figuring with my luck that it was entirely possible, "Where's Tyson and Superboy?"

"Down in, er, the forge I guess we'll call it." Aqualad answered, "When we got back, Tyson went right to work on making you a set of armor. He seemed very distraught over your injury."

Percy sighed, "Yeah he worries a lot... wait if they were working on It wouldn't we hear it? Why is there no noise?"

"Because we're done!" Tyson announced from the doorway, scaring the bejeezus out of everyone in the room. He walked in proudly with Superboy behind him, carrying the armor. It was the classic style we used at camp half blood, and looked to be made of bronze.

Percy stood up at the sight, "Is that-?"

"It's regular bronze," Tyson said sadly, "But I did my best to forge it stronger. Try it on!"

As Percy did just that, while Robin talked to Tyson, "I know I said he needed armor but… that's just bronze, it won't hold up long against bullets."

"Don't be so sure." Superboy stated, he then held up a slab of bronze, "I had him work on this too to show you." He then gave it to Tyson, who held it up for the Kryptonian to rear back and punch with all his might, leaving a fist shaped dent in the metal.

Percy, frowned as he fiddled with the armor straps, "That doesn't exactly comfort me…"

Robin on the other understood, "Was that a full power punch?" Superboy nodded, "That's impossible! The bronze should have shattered, or at the least you should have punched through…"

Tyson beamed, "I made it stronger!"

"He did something to the metal when he was working on it," Superboy explained, "I still don't really understand what, but it made the metal like ten times stronger."

Everyone looked at Tyson curiously, "What did you do?"

He simply made a shushing motion, "It's a Cyclops secret! Celestial bronze would still rip right through it, but mortal weapons should have a very hard time. It would be better if I had a higher quality metal..."

Robin seemed deep in thought. He turned on his gauntlets holoscreen and began searching through files. , "Batman has deep pockets. He could probably get his hands on a high quality titanium-carbon fiber alloy… and he's currently working on a new suit prototype, involving three layers: a titanium dipped tri weave fiber mesh body suit, under a layer of an experimental smart-fluid armor system that would maximize, well, fluidity if you'd pardon the pun,, sandwiched under flexible plates if you do whatever you did to the bronze to the titanium-carbon fiber plating, you could make something pretty amazing, and you'd be testing a prototype for batman. If it isn't too complicated that is." He was now showing Tyson the schematics. The cyclops' eye flew over the screen with fascination, only looking up when Percy clapped his hand to get his attention.

"That all seems cool and all, but you wanted me to get some armor, and now I have some. End of story."

Robin stared at him with an open mouth, luckily Wally talked for him, "Are you serious? You'd waste an opportunity like this?"

Percy shrugged, "I just don't know if it's necessary, if you're so keen on it, why don't one of you try it?"

Robin sighed, "The armor design is flexible, but not enough for a speedster, so Wally's out, M'gann can heal back limbs if necessary, Superboy is invulnerable, and Kaldur…"

"My suit both works to keep me hydrated and help me channel my magic," Kaldur explained, "The suit you described would not be ideal for that.'

"And I… I'm not strong enough to support the weight of the armor. That's why my suit is a simple mesh with Kevlar paddings. But you, this is perfect for you." Robin insisted.

Percy still seemed unsure. That's when Robin got an evil idea, "Tell you what, I'll stop bothering you about it, _if_ you wear that armor during combat practice with Canary."

Percy, ignorant as he was, agreed to this.

Later, everyone, Canary and Martian Manhunter included, was gathered in the teleporter room where Canary walked to the center, activating some kind of light on the arena floor, "I consider it an honor to be your teacher. I'll throw a lot at you, everything I learned from my own mentors," she winced as she pulled off her jacket, "And my own bruises.

"What happened?" M'gann asked.

"The Job." Canary answered simply, "Now, combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting. I'll need a sparring partner."

Tyson went to raise his hand, but Wally was faster, "Right here! Yeah." He walked forward, finishing the banana he was eating before throwing it effortlessly into the trashcan, "After this, I'll show you _my_ moves."

The entire team tried hard to keep a straight face, except for Percy, raised an eyebrow, "Wow. That's direct."

However, Canary only smirked at this, before throwing a punch, which he blocked, but then followed up with a leg sweep, all in a matter of seconds. Wally was on the floor before he knew what happened, with a screen on the ground declaring him a "FAIL."

Wally groaned, "Hurts so good."

"Good block." Canary complimented, "But did anyone see what he did wrong?"

Robin raised his hand, "Oh! He hit on teacher and got served?"

"Dude!" Wally grumbled.

"He allowed me to dictate the terms of the fight."

There was a moment of silence before Percy argued, "No I'm pretty sure it was what Robin said." This elicited giggles from the rest of the Team as Canary walked over to Percy to size him up. "I heard you created your own personal hurricane today. Anything else you want to share with the league?"

Percy rolled his eyes before holding up a fist. It began to vibrate violently, "Earthquake powers. Don't worry though, I don't have a lot of practice so I won't be using them."

She nodded, "I see, and you intend to fight in that?"

Percy looked down at his armor then back up at her, "Yeah, it's a classic. What's wrong with that?"

She shrugged, "It's rigid, it restricts movement and it's probably heavy and slow to boot. Have you really won a fight in that?"

"I've won a war in this." He stated matter-of-factly, causing confused shuffling from the others and a raised eyebrow from Canary. "A war fought with swords no doubt. I was under the impression that you wanted to learn hand to hand. But I will indulge you, come, see how far you get in that tin can."

Percy stepped forward, "Okay side note, I know you're just trying to make a point, but Tyson worked really hard making this, it's bronze, and I look damn good in it."

Black Canary smirked as we circled, "Noted." That's when she attacked.

She went for a different approach than with Wally, instead of attacking the face first, she went for the legs, only for Percy to jump back out of her kicks, but she kept her momentum going, spinning into a roundhouse kick aimed at the face, however once again Percy was ready for it, catching her right leg in his hands. She actually grinned at him from her position, "You have good reflexes."

He shrugged as he kept a tight grip on her, "Some would say godlike."

She rolled her eyes at the joke, before jumping up with her left leg and twisting her body violently in midair, catching Percy off guard and flipping him on his back. The "FAIL" sign appeared as he caught his breath, and Canary stood over him, "Talent will only get you so far. Skill is where it really counts."

He groaned but laughed at the same time, "I guess so. Again?"

She smiled and helped him to his feet where they sparred once more, once again ending in Percy on the ground.

He actually groaned, but sat up with a strange smile on his fa , "Again!"

As the two kept going, the rest of the team watched in awe at Percy's stamina and Canary's skill. Though Wally did whisper to Robin, "Shouldn't someone else get a turn?"

"Are you nuts?" Robin responded, as he wrote stuff down in a notebook, "We get to watch her work and not being on the receiving end of it. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Wally couldn't argue with that. Even Superboy was watching the fights with interest, though he tried very hard not to show it. M'gann practically had stars in her eyes as she watched the older heroine work.

Finally, Percy was once again thrown to the ground, as Canary had ducked behind them to fast for him to turn because of, you guessed it, his armor, "Still think that armor was a good idea?" Robin called out.

Percy shouted back, "Can it birdbrain!" he took a minute to catch his breath, before adding, "Send Tyson the blueprints."

Robin smirked victoriously while Tyson was practically bouncing giddily at the idea. Percy got to his feet and began unstrapping the armor. Canary chuckled as she took a sip of water, "You sure? That'll open up a whole new range of attacks for me."

Percy nodded, "If it will give my face a break then I'm certain. Mind if I have a sip of that water?"

Black Canary shrugged and handed over. He took a long sip before finally handing it back, looking more energetic than before. "Thanks."

She was in the middle of taking it from him when he suddenly lunged out, landing his first punch of the day on her abdomen, sending her stumbling backwards before looking at him in shock. He simply smiled, "When facing a son of Poseidon in combat, whatever you do, don't give him water."

He then shot forward yet again, unleashing a flurry of new attacks so fast that Canary found herself having to get serious to keep up with him. She could tell that the attacks had none of the skill or efficiency of someone who knew what they were doing, but his actions and reflexes had gotten so fast that it hardly mattered.

Finally, Canary had enough and delivered a spinning jump kick to the demigod's ace, sending him crashing to the ground one more time.

After taking a moment to calm down, Black Canary realized she had just used an incredibly dangerous move on a teenager. She walked forward to where he lay, "Percy, are you okay?"

The teenager groaned, before pulling himself to his feet and facing her again wiping what he assumed was blood off his mouth, "I'm fine. One more time, I think I almost had you."

He was a little disappointed when he got no response to his joke, and even more so when she continued to just stare at him strangely. "What's wrong? "

"Percy," M'gann said with concern evident in her voice, "Look at your hand."

Percy looked around the room to find everyone staring at him strangely, so he did as he was told, and what he saw made him freeze.

Smeared on his hand, was not blood like he thought, but the brilliant, shining, liquid gold. Ichor.

"Brother… " Tyson whispered, staring at Percy in utter awe.

"What is that?" Canary broke the silence, "Why is your blood gold?"

Percy spoke bluntly, "It's Ichor. It means I'm a god."

Canary's eyes widened at that, as did Martian Manhunter and everyone else's. no one knew what to say o that, "Are you sure?" didn't seem plausible. Then things went south.

Instead of jumping around singing in joy like one would expect one to do if they just learned they were an immortal being of unknown power, Percy fell forward on his knees, muttering, "No no no no no no no no no…"

The team rushed forward, wondering what had him so distraught, but were knocked off balance as the ground began to shake violently.

Tyson was the first one to gain his bearings and rush towards Percy, "Brother? Brother can you hear me? Percy? You have to snap out of it!"

As the ground continued to shake, the ceiling of the cave began to crack and break apart, little by little. Canary leaned against the wall, "Is he doing this? He's going to bring the entire mountain down!"

At this point the entire team was shouting to him, trying to get his attention, but he just sat on his knees, his head down, and his hair covering his eyes.

"It's no use!" Martian Manhunter declared, "He's in a state of shock. I will have to reach into his mind directly to snap him out of it."

M'gann looked at her uncle uncertainly as she struggled to find her balance, "But he told me he never wanted anyone going into his head! "

J'onn looked at her seriously, "It is either this, or the destruction of Mount Justice."

With that he levitated off the ground to escape the violent shaking, and closed his eyes to concentrate on reaching Percy's mind.

After a moment, the shaking finally ceased, without the mountain collapsing. A moment later Martian Manhunter opened his eyes, but tears were streaming down them.

M'gann tried to approach him, "Uncle what's—" she was cut off as she stumbled back.

"Get away!' he practically yelled, before he seemed to get his bearings, "Just… give me a moment… please."

While he did that, the rest of the team crowded around Percy, who hadn't moved from his spot. The only difference was that there were now a trickle of teardrops falling to the floor in front of him.

"Brother," Tyson said softly, "Are you alright?"

Slowly, Percy raised his head to meet the worried gazes of his new teammates. What they saw in his face nearly tore the hearts out of many of them. It was pure, unadulterated, despair.

Percy could only utter one thing in response to his brother, "It's not fair…."

 **Chapter 3**

 **If you don't understand why Percy is reacting the way he is, don't worry, I'll explain in the next chapter… probably. In a perfect world, the subtle hints I've been dropping would explain it, but I know that's a long shot. Let me know what you think,**

 **I'll just say it, the armor components I ripped straight off of Batman Arkham Knight. Don't worry though I intend to make the suit way different from the Batsuit, but I couldn't help it. It's one of the coolest batsuits in my opinion, save maybe for Batman Beyond.**


	4. Chapter 4

Third Person POV

"Isla Santa Prisca." Batman exclaimed, "This island is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo steroid, as strength enhancing drug, codenamed Venom."

The team was gathered in the briefing room while Batman showed them the mission data on a holographic screen, and Red Tornado stood silently behind him. Everyone was there, including Percy and Tyson.

"Infrared heat signatures indicate that the factory is still operating at full capacity, yet all Venom shipments have been inexplicably cut off. That's where this team comes in."

Everyone shuffled excitedly, but there was still a sense of tenseness in the air, centered on one member: the newly declared god. It had been a week since the incident with Canary. Percy had mostly kept to his room, minimizing interaction with the others as much as possible, despite many efforts to reach out to him. No one knew what made him to freak out the way he did, except for Tyson, but he had made it clear that it wasn't something he was supposed to talk about. "I don't talk about my brother behind his back!" was his constant reply.

Batman continued, "This is a covert mission, meant for recovering intel only, that being said…" he had walked in front of Tyson to say something, but was momentarily distracted, "What are you wearing?"

Tyson, despite the fact that all the other team members were in civilian clothing, was wearing his "super suit" it consisted of a pair of brown flame retardant pants with a brown long-sleeved shirt of the same material. Stitched onto the shirt was a large, golden T that ran from the bottom of the shirt to the top, with the ends of the T reaching to the tips of his shoulders. To complete the look, Tyson had fashioned a brown bandana with a hole cut out of it around his face, Zorro style. Tyson stood at attention as if Batman were his commanding officer in the military, "It's my superhero suit sir!" he responded stiffly.

Batman raised an eyebrow, before looking at Percy questioningly. He sighed, "I told him it's just a briefing, but he had just finished making it and wanted to try it on."

Batman looked back at Tyson, "I see. Why are you wearing a mask?"

Tyson looked around uncertainly before darting his eye back at the Batman, "To protect my identity sir?"

Batman continued to stare at him, before he apparently gave up on the subject, "We'll work on that later. In any case, you will not be going on this mission."

That caused many of the team to look at him in shock. While Tyson just stayed still, Percy asked in a deadly calm voice, "Why?"

Batman responded, "It has come to my attention that he is of the mental age and maturity of 11."

"So?" Batman looked at his protégé in surprise as spoke up, "You let me go on missions when I was 9!"

Batman quickly got over his surprise, "You were trained by me, and didn't have the destructive power to destroy entire city blocks. He has as much subtlety as nuclear bomb. Until we're sure he can be trusted in a mission like this, he will… what is he doing?"

The Batman was actually caught off guard as the cyclops now had tears running down over his new mask, though he looked to be doing his best to hold it in Percy glared at the dark knight, "He's crying jackass, he was looking forward to helping."

Batman barely registered the blatant insult from the teen as he tried to think of what to do in this situation, but for all the man's skills, comforting someone was not his most developed.

However, Tyson then wiped his tears away and looked up in determination, he spoke in a confident voice, "it's okay, I understand, I'll just… find something to do while everyone's gone."

Percy looked at his brother in surprise, having never seen him reign in his emotions so quickly. He looked like he wanted to say something, but to everyone's surprise, he was beaten by Red Tornado. "Perhaps while they are on their mission, you could take the opportunity to better assess his skills by letting him accompany you on patrol?"

Batman, along with everyone else in the room, looked at the android in confusion, "What?"

The android continued, "You patrol at night if my data is correct, and visibility in Gotham is often dismal at best. It would be a good opportunity for him to go out without being spotted by too many civilians. There might be stories, but until we choose to publicly announce his existence as a hero to the world, this would be the best option to see him in action."

Batman stared at the android for what felt like several minutes, as if the two were having a mental conversation. Finally, he turned back to Tyson, "Fine. I'll take you out on patrol, do not disappoint me."

Tyson had been gradually growing the stars in his eyes at the proposition, and now practically jumped in excitement, "Don't worry! The Amazing Mr. T won't let you down!"

"Mr. T?" Wally asked.

"It's my superhero name!" Tyson declared, pointing to his chest "T is for Tyson."

"Mr. T Huh? Sounds familiar," Batman commented. Everyone thought hard for a moment to think of who it reminded them of, but none could recall.

"It's settled then," Batman concluded, "Go suit up."

Before they left Robin asked, "So who's in charge?"

Batman looked at him, "I'll let you decide that for yourselves. Now go."

Everyone turned to leave, but before Percy could, Batman stood in front of him, "Except you."

Once everyone had cleared out, giving Percy mixed looks of worry and pity, Percy looked up at him, "Is this about the incident."

Batman narrowed his eyes, "You nearly brought the entire mountain down. I very nearly took you off this mission as well. Martian Manhunter was practically scarred when he looked into your head, and all of this happened because you declared yourself a god. Not a demigod."

Percy nodded, "I didn't realize until now, I certainly don't feel any different than I did as a demigod. I don't understand it any more than you."

He continued his staring, as if he was trying to pick me apart with his looks, "What I want to know is why learning that you're a "god" would prompt you to lose control of your powers."

Percy was silent for a moment, before sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "It's complicated."

 **Four days day after the incident.**

The room was silent, save for the constant ticking of the clock. Percy sat across from Black Canary in her office, feeling very bored, and wanting to be anyone else. She simply stared at him as she sat up straight with her legs crossed, while he slumped.

After a few minutes of neither saying a word, Canary went first, "This doesn't work unless you talk to me."

Percy looked at her, "Then maybe we should just stop now."

Canary sighed, "Percy, I'm a licensed psychologist, anything you say here stays here." Percy remained silent, so she leaned forward, "I know trauma Percy, whatever is wrong I can—"

"You can't!" He snapped at her, causing her lean back as he continued,, "You can't know what I've gone through, you're just—"

"Just a mortal?" She raised an eyebrow, "Do you think because you're a god that you know better than all us lowly humans?"

Percy flinched, "Please don't call me that."

"What? A god? That's what you called yourself. Why does it upset you so much?"

Percy leaned back, staring at the ceiling, "You had it right before. You are just a mortal. That's not meant to be derogatory, at least from me, it's just accurate. There are things in my life now that you will never understand, nor would you want to."

She just stared at him, "You're avoiding my question. What's wrong with being a god?"

He looked up at her, suddenly deadly serious, "Have you ever met a god?" She shook her head, "I've met many. Almost all of them have something in common. After being alive for so many thousands of years, watching mortals grow old and die in what's a blink in the eye for them, they no longer see them as people, just lower beings. Useful for a night of fun and a child to do their bidding maybe, but after that they just move on without batting an eye. Most of them just don't care, and the ones that do, or at least pretend that they do, have grown so used to watching mortals die, that they can mourn one moment and move on the next."

Canary hummed at his, "So you're worried you will lose a part of yourself as time goes on. Is that why you're secluding yourself from the team? So it will hurt less when they're gone?" Percy was silent, looking at the clock, "But that's not everything, is it? Something else is troubling you, not about your future, but something from your past."

His eyes snapped to her a this, confirming her suspicions. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

He scoffed, "Why? Can't you get the information from Manhunter? He looked in my head, didn't he?"

She sighed, "You know, I tried, but for whatever reason he felt that it was not his place to share. It was annoying really." Percy's glare softened a bit at that.

Canary continued, "I've worked with a lot of people with pasts that haunt them. There are coping mechanisms, you may not be able to make it go away, but you can learn to live with it."

"I don't want to live with it!" Percy exclaimed, before reeling himself in "I've seen things, experienced things, that nobody here could possibly understand."

Canary leaned back with a frown, "You're only seventeen, how much could you have experienced?"

Percy actually snickered at that, "Seventeen. Right. Maybe in body, but in mind…"

The heroine leaned forward, "What do you mean?"

Percy closed his eyes, clenching them shut, as if trying to force the images from his eyes, "There's a place, in my universe called Tartarus."

Her eyes widened, "That's the Greek realm of the dead, right?"

Percy shook his head, "No that's the Underworld, or Hades. I'd much prefer that over Tartarus. Tartarus is the Hell beneath Hell. The place where monsters and immortals reform when their bodies are destroyed. It's a literal hellscape, meant only to cause suffering to all its inhabitants."

Canary kept a straight face as he talked, but inside she was beginning to see just how broken he was, beyond his little freak out days prior. "Time is different there, or feels different anyway, a second lasts days. A day lasts years. I was down there for two weeks according to my friends.

At this her eyes widened, "But to you, it was longer."

He nodded, "Decades. I wish I could say that time was spent building experience getting stronger, but no. The majority of the time I was kept a captive, by an enemy of mine. He spent years… finding new ways to break me."

"And did he?" Canary asked, "To me you've seemed pretty unbroken, aside from a few snags here and there."

Percy flinched as the images assaulted him with a vengeance, "I couldn't break. I had a job to do, people counting on me. in the end I was saved, rescued from Tartarus, and I made it back to my friends. We then went to complete our mission."

She nodded, "What was the mission?"

"Same as always, kill some monsters." Percy said dryly, "Only this time, the monsters were too strong, too many. One by one they died, in front of my eyes. If it weren't for Tyson and my dad, I would be too… I should be."

That's when Black Canary figured it out. "You wanted to die, to be with your friends…"

Percy laughed without humor, "Oh no, their souls are still back in the underworld of my universe, here I won't find them. But I hoped at least it would be a fresh start, that I would find some peace when I died. But now…" He bit down on his thumb and held up his now bleeding thumb to show her the golden liquid, "Now this flows through my veins, I'll never age, I'll never decay. There's only a few ways I might be able to go out…"

Canary looked at him curiously, "What?"

He shrugged, "The gods of my universe can be destroyed physically, then reform in Tartarus. but this world, well it's obviously different, if I were to be killed, I might stay dead…" He trailed off choosing not to mention Fading, for a few reasons.

Canary nodded, dreading the answer to her next question, "I see. Is that why you agreed to become a hero so easily? To rush into the danger, and maybe find peace early? Or do you plan to do it yourself?"

The teen seemed to consider it for a moment, before sighing, "Maybe? But, I won't let myself be killed like that, not while Tyson still needs me."

Canary studied him, "And when he passes?"

Percy shook his head, "Tyson is a cyclops. They are immortal like gods, though not nearly as powerful. If he were to be destroyed, he might stay dead, or he might reform somewhere in this universe, but I'm not going to let that happen. He's all I have left.

"You are very protective of him. Almost too protective at times. You realize he's more than capable of protecting himself, right?"

Percy nodded, "Physically yes, but Tyson went through something too. He lost his love and his father. He may act happy and childish, but inside he's hurting."

Black Canary frowned, "You know this, what are you doing about it?"

"I… don't know what to do." He admitted, "I want to bring it up, try to help him through it, but I'm afraid it will unleash a flood of emotions that he won't know how to control, and I won't know how to help him…"

Canary couldn't help but roll her eyes at the immortal in front of her, "Well, lucky for you I do. I'll schedule him to start seeing me. I may be just a mortal, and I may not understand the pain the two of you have gone through. but I know at least that the longer you keep something bottled up, the more it will hurt when you let it out. That goes for you too."

Percy looked at her curiously, "What?"

"You say you lost your friends, watched them die right in front of you. have you even taken time to mourn?"

He stared at her, "I… I can't, I have to stay strong for—"

The heroine sighed, "For Tyson, right. I'm not as naïve as to think I can fix you in one session, especially with everything you've just told me. This will take time. For now, I'll end it with this: closing yourself off to people, may help you not feel as badly when they pass, but it may also speed up the hardening of the heart that you've described in your gods. You hate the fact that you're a god, so don't act like one. interact with your team, dare to have fun even. The way I see it, you have a choice: isolate yourself, close your heart off to us mortals, and save yourself the pain, or open up, fall in love, take the risk of emotion. You may end up hurt later on, but at least you'll have more than just bad memories."

Percy stared at her silently. She could tell he was rolling her words over in his head, but she knew he wouldn't make a decision now. So, she sent him out, telling him she would let him know when their next session would be.

As he walked out of the room, he looked like he wanted to say something, but ended up shaking his head and walking out. Once she was sure he was gone, she finally let her façade down.

As the tears began to fall, she felt the need to call Oliver, he always knew how to cheer her up after a particularly heart wrenching session.

 **Now**

In the briefing room, Batman stared down at Percy, "Complications are what ruin missions. Don't let that happen, understand?"

Percy glared back up at him, "Yes sir."

They stared at each other for another few moments, as they usually did every time they met, before batman backed off. "Good. Now suit up. I expect a report on how the prototype armor does."

Percy nodded, "And I expect you to bring back my brother safely."

With that they went their separate ways, Percy fuming, as he always had issues with authority figures, and Batman smiling slightly, as he never met a person who could match him in intensity. In a strange way, it was reassuring to the man.

Several hours later, the team was flying over the Caribbean Sea. Most of the team was seated inside the bio ship, while Percy flew alongside with Blackjack.

" _Approaching Santa Prisca."_ Miss Martian announced through the team's psychic link.

Superboy grimaced, " _I'm still not okay with this…"_

" _Yeah well get okay with it."_ Came the steely voice of Percy as he flew alongside the cockpit, " _The advantage of the link is too great to pass up, especially on a covert operation."_

" _Oh, now he speaks to us,"_ Wally quipped, " _The mighty god stoops to our level."_

" _I'm not-!" Percy growled internally, "Ugh, just focus on the mission."_

" _How's Blackjack doing?"_ M'gann asked, trying to change the subject _._

" _I'm fine green lady, just gonna need a few dozen boxes of donuts later. Thanks for asking,"_ the pegasus chimed in, startling many of the others in the link.

" _There's a horse in my head,"_ Robin mused, _"Didn't see that coming."_

" _Pegasus…"_ Blackjack corrected with obvious annoyance, making the Boy wonder chuckle inside the ship.

" _I wasn't sure if the link would work with him, but I'm glad to see it does."_ M'gann explained.

" _Glad to have you as part of the team,"_ Aqualad said.

" _Eh, I don't know about that. I'm just helping out the Boss."_ The pegasus replied.

" _Why?"_ Wally asked, _"Are you like his servant or something?"_

" _Don't answer that Blackjack,"_ Percy sighed. " _He's just trying to get a rise out of me."_

Blackjack snorted in annoyance while Robin rolled his eyes and elbowed the speedster, " _And he better stop it, as it's the last thing we need on our first official mission. By the way Percy, how's the suit feeling?"_

" _Fine,"_ he replied simply, _"it doesn't chafe as much as I thought it would."_

Percy was currently wearing the new prototype armor, that Tyson had been working on over the past week. As it was, the titanium carbon fiber alloy hadn't arrived yet, so the armor plating was made out of the enhanced bronze, which was fine with Percy. The suit fit his body a little tighter than he was used to, contouring to all his muscles. The bottom layer was a simple titanium dipped tri weave mesh, currently dyed black. the bronze platting was distributed all over the suit. His chest had several plates shaped and arranged to cover each abdominal and pectoral muscle, while each plate was separate and not confronting to his movement.

He had bronze spaulders on each shoulder, though each were designed not to be too bulky. A thin line of flexible plating ran from the spaulders down his biceps, before connecting to a pair of bronze vambraces covering each forearm. The suit covered his hands as well, and included bronze plating over his knuckles to increase the damage. The only thing covering his back was a round water carrier strapped to his upper back, also made of bronze.

Around his waist was a simple bronze belt for a little extra protection, though in the back there was another an arching plate reaching up reaching up to cover the small of his back, that ended at his sides. Running down from his belt was another line of flexible plating that ran down the side his thighs, being sure to cover the any major veins or arteries, before connecting to the armor encasing his lower legs, with a piece jutting up from the shin to cover the kneecaps. his feet were encased in the suit as well, with protective soles and treads already built into it.

He had nothing covering his head, save for a simple domino mask, courtesy of Robin. It was black as well, with the only alterations being two points jutting up on each end, and one in the middle, none of them going farther than his hairline. The three prongs of a trident.

" _It bites into my sides a bit more than I'd like." Blackjack commented._

" _We could get you a saddle?"_ Robin suggested

" _Try and bridle me,"_ Blackjack warned, _"I freakin dare ya."_

"' _We'll make it so it doesn't bite into you as much next time,"_ Percy interjected, not in the mood for a fight between his pegasus and his young teammate.

" _Drop zone in 30."_ M'gann announced in exasperation, not even trying to hide her relief that the operation was finally under way. " _Everyone activate their stealth gear."_

As they flew through the air, the ship turned invisible, and the passengers all stood up to activate their suits stealth modes, with M'gann simply commanding her organic material to change, and Superboy simply remained in his already dark clothing. outside, Percy whispered. "Erebus." Causing the bright bronze plating to begin to darken until it turned gray. This was Tyson's approach to "stealth mode".

Percy then got into a crouching positon on his mounts back, " _Ready Aqualad?"_

" _I am, shall I follow you?"_

" _No, you lead, I'm interested to see an Atlantean in action. After you."_

A moment later, Percy spotted Aqualad diving out of the bioship straight into the ocean without a splash. He spoke to Blackjack one more time, "Remember the plan, wait at least thirty minutes before landing, I'll call you when I need pick up.'

 _Got it Boss._

Percy nodded, before jumping off the pegasus, diving silently into the ocean below.

Percy took a moment to relish the rush of power he felt from his father's domain, before quickly locating Aqualad and shooting towards him. He caught up to him in a moment and they began making their way towards shore. Percy noted that while the Atlantean was nowhere near as fast as he could be in the water, he was definitely go faster than any human he knew of. They easily passed through an underwater mine field, and cut their way through the underwater fence surrounding the island. Soon they had reached the shore.

Percy followed Kaldur as they approached two strange looking devices. Kaldur brought out a cylindrical device and plugged it into one of the monitors of the devices. After a moment, and let out a beep to indicate its work was done. _"Heat and motion sensors unpatched, data is now in a continuous loop. Move in."_

As the bioship flew inland, Aqualad turned to Percy. "Let us go."

He nodded and they began making their way through the brush. Percy was impressed to see that Kaldur could move pretty fast on land as well. They didn't waste any time sprinting through the forest, occasionally leaping over the occasional obstacle with ease.

"Are all Atlantean this nimble above ground?" Percy asked as he kept up the pace.

Kaldur nodded, "Our physiology is accustomed to the high pressure of the ocean depths, coming on land is akin to entering a region of lower gravity, in a sense. Unfortunately, many of us have trouble when out of water for too long. My king, being half human, is an exception. I have also shown to be quite proficient at it, though I still require my hydration suit to work at full capacity."

Percy just listened silently as he explained. Once he was done, he simply nodded, before they fell back into silence. Soon however, they came to a stop as they stood in front of a cliff, looking to be several hundred feet high, and blocked their path to the objective. Aqualad glanced questioningly at Percy, who shrugged, "I'll be fine, there's not even lava running down the side..."

Aqualad had no idea what that meant, but shrugged it off the two were about to begin their climb, when a loud boom in the distance made them pause. Percy looked to Kaldur, "Please tell me that wasn't them."

A moment later M'gann's voice sounded in their head, " _Drop B is go."_

" _Head for the factory, we'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP."_ Aqualad responded as he began scaling the cliff.

As Percy followed after him, he added " _Was that incredibly loud noise one of you?"_

" _It was me,"_ Superboy's voice came on the line, sounding strangely apologetic _"I got a little carried away, it won't happen again."_ He stated that last part firmly.

Percy sighed, "And yet only Tyson was benched?"

A moment later, Kaldur stopped climbing, making Percy stop next to him in confusion, "What? did you see something?"

Aqualad looked at him, "What is wrong with being a god?"

Percy's face quickly hardened, before continuing his climb, "This isn't the time."

Aqualad narrowed is eyes before following him, "What other time is there? You avoid your teammates like the plague! I want to believe that there is some reason behind it, but I'm starting to agree with Kid. Maybe you are just some god, looking down at us mortal beings with contempt."

The Atlantean froze as the god punched the side of the cliff in anger, creating a small crater, and shaking loose a bit of rubble, "I AM NOT—" He then stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before speaking in a much softer voice, "I wouldn't do that, that's not what I'm doing.

Kaldur didn't let up though, "How are we supposed to know?" the god began to climb again, as the Atlantean followed, "You never talk to us, unless you have to. What do you expect us to think— "

He lost is train of thought as a ledge he stepped on turned out not to be as sturdy as he thought, he almost fell down the side of the cliff, but was stopped by a tendril of water wrapping around his arm. He followed the water to find its source was Percy's own container.

The water then hoisted him up next to Percy, only letting him go when he found his footing. He was about to thank him when he saw Percy with an angry look on his face, along with a hint of something else. "You do not know everything!"

They then climbed in silence, for a while. Aqualad figured he'd give it a rest for the time being. However, when they reached the top, Percy surprised him by speaking again. "I was on another team. A team of seven like this one. Now I'm the only one left alive."

Aqualad looked at him in shock, "I'm… sorry. What happened?"

Percy turned to look at him, with an unreadable expression, "It happened in a battle, moments before I came here. We were up against enemies that required the power of a demigod and a god to defeat. We showed up, the gods didn't. I watched all of my friends… my family, die on the battlefield before my eyes… I won't let that happen to this team."

He then turned to walk towards the objective, leaving the Atlantean in a stunned daze, before he shook himself out of it and hurried to follow him, looking at him with a newfound awe.

As they were making their way however, they suddenly heard gunfire. Aqualad reached out first, _"Does anyone have a visual?"_

" _Yeah,"_ Superboy replied, " _Two squads, they seem to be in an altercation with each other—what is that idiot doing_?"

Percy and Kaldur looked at each other, not even having to ask which idiot the Kryptonian was talking about, before they took off towards the gunfire. "I swear if that speedster gets killed before I get there, I will pull him out of the underworld and kill him again," Percy growled under his breath.

Kaldur couldn't help but crack a smile at that, "Kid Flash is a bit impulsive, but he is also fast enough to dodge bullets. He should be fine. Though I can't say the same for the covertness of our operation."

Percy stayed silent, doing his best to look calm, and just a bit angry, but inside he was praying to every god he could think of that the others were okay, not caring if it drew unwanted attention.

They soon arrived at the scene, just as the others were finishing the gunmen off. The two factions consisted of several men working under some overly buff guy in a wrestler mask, and a bunch of guys in red robes.

Aqualad jumped through the trees to get the drop on one guy while Percy charged towards another. The goon noticed the armored man approaching him and turned to fire on him, only for his bullets to be caught in a wall of water shielding the man. One bullet did manage to get through however, but it bounced harmlessly off of Percy's shin guard. He then took the guy down with a quick punch to the face.

Once they were sure the bad guys were all down, Percy turned to Kid Flash, "Wanna tell me what happened?"

Wally glared back at him, "It was mistake, they happen. It turned out well too, we now have a heap of people to get information out of!"

Percy looked at him in disbelief, "A mistake? You could have been killed! That's a little more serious than a mistake!"

The speedster stared back at him defiantly, "Just because I'm not some god doesn't mean I'm useless! I can still run circles around you, oh great and powerful Percy!"

Percy felt his eye begin to twitch, and looked ready to say more, Kaldur shouted, "Enough. We are wasting time. We should focus on restraining these men to get the intel we need." He turned to do just that, walking past Wally, where he stopped, "And you could exercise a little more caution. That is all Percy truly meant to convey."

The speedster crossed his arms, "Yeah? Well he doesn't have to, I got it."

The Atlantean sighed, before going to help the others with the rope, while Percy and Wally took a few more moments to glare each other, before Wally turned away to help as well. Once he had, Percy had to take a deep breath to calm down, before going to help as well. He wouldn't let Wally make any comments about gods not having to do work.

Once they had finished tying up the gunmen, the heroes examined the robed figures. "I recognize those uniforms," Robin stated, "They belong to the Cult of the Kobra."

"The what'?" Percy asked.

"They're a crazy religious group," Robin answered, "Only they worship their leader as a, er, god."

Percy narrowed his eyes at that, but said nothing

"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation." Aqualad noted.

Robin nodded, "Agreed, and since there's clearly no love lost between the Kobra and those goons, I'm guessing the Kobra came in and tossed them out! _That's_ why normal supply lines have been cut off."

"We get it," Wally said, "Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved. Radio Bats and we can be home in time for— "

"These cultists aren't _on_ Venom," Robin interrupted, "Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We can't leave… not until I know why."

Wally raised an eyebrow, "Until _you_ know why?"

The two stepped up to each other, "This team need a leader." Robin insisted

"And it's you?" Wally laughed, "Dude you're a thirteen-year-old kid, who ducked out on us without a word."

Percy narrowed his eyes at that, but stayed silent as Robin laughed, "And you're a mature fifteen? You blew our cover the first chance you got!"

As the two continued to bicker, Percy noticed M'gann look at Superboy, "Don't you want to lead?"

The Kryptonian scoffed, "You?"

She looked away, "No… I don't know where I'd even begin…"

Superboy then looked towards the larger man, before smiling knowingly. Percy walked up to him, "Hear something?"

Superboy nodded, "The big guy's gonna "play along". Honestly, they think none of us know Spanish?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, "How do _you_ know Spanish? No offense but you're like less than a month old."

He shrugged, "The Genomorphs implanted it into my head. I'm fluid in most languages."

That caused Percy to raise an eyebrow, "Useful. You should send them a thank you card."

At this the Kryptonian cracked a smirk, but the moment was ruined as the ninja and the speedster kept going at it. "You don't even have any powers!"

"Neither does Batman!" Robin argued

"Uh, you're not Batman." Wally scoffed.

"Uh, closest thing we got!" Robin mocked.

Suddenly however their conversation was broken up by the deep laughter of the big man. He spoke in a heavy Spanish accent. "Such clever niños. But you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest, get you into the factory via my secret entrance.

M'gann crouched in front of him and activated her telepathy, "There _is_ a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something." She concentrated for a moment, but he smiled.

"A-A-A. chica, Bane is not that easy."

M'gann flinched, "Ugh, he's mentally reciting fútbol scores in Español. This could take a while."

"It's not complicated," Bane insisted, "The enemy of my enemy, is my friend."

The team looked at each other for a moment, before Percy stepped forward, drawing his pen from his pocket and uncapping it at Bane, who tensed up at the blade leveled towards his neck. In the background Wally almost took a step forward, but was stopped when Aqualad put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

Percy leaned in close to Bane, "We'll play your game, for now, but when, and believe me I don't mean if, but _when_ you betray us, I will not hesitate to remove that mask for you. Along with the rest of your head, understand?"

Bane glared at him for a moment before growling out, "Yes."

Percy then smirkef=d, "Relax Nacho Libre," he swung the sword, causing the man to let out a cry as it phased through his neck. "This can't hurt you." He then used the blade to cut the ropes, allowing him to stand up. He turned around and walked the other way, as Bane grumbled and walked forward as well, but the luchador froze as suddenly the tip of a blade made out of solid water was stuck up his nose, as Percy had whirled around in an instant, and summoned the weapon.

At this Aqualad was also having doubts, he called out tentatively, "Percy?"

Bane watched as Percy's eyes darted towards his teammate then back at him, before he suddenly got in close, keeping the blade pressed to his face, even drawing a bit of blood, "I'm sure you think I'm bluffing, so I want you to look at my teams faces for a moment and ask yourself if I am. The Leagues already reprimanded me for relieving one monster of its head, but the moment you go to harm one of them, I won't hesitate to add your head to the list. So, _when_ you betray us. Do yourself a favor, and focus on me." Bane stared into the eyes of the god, looking for any trace of a bluff, but found none, and widened his eyes when Percy's glowed dangerously.

With that he dispelled the water back into his container and allowed to now sweaty man to fall forward onto his knees, taking a moment to catch his breath. The team was looking at him with mixed looks of awe and concern, with Superboy, the only one who heard the entire exchange, doing his best to stay unreadable. The goons on the other hand were sweating blood at the sight of their leader brought to his knees by the mere words of a teenager.

Percy looked at them all, "Well? Let's go."

Bane led them through the forest to a cliff overlooking the factory, where Robin took out his binoculars to survey the seen. He watched for a moment before commenting on the men loading crates, "Look at all that product. A buy _is_ going down. but if it's none of the usual suspects…"

"We need to identify that buyer. "Aqualad concluded.

"Just what I was thinking." Wally stated.

Robin laughed, "Yeah, you're a thinker."

"Really dude?" Wally drawled, "Sarcasm? A real leader would be focused on getting answers."

The team's attention was then drawn to Bane as he made a ruckus moving a boulder out of the way of a hidden passageway, "Answers are this way."

The team was silent for a moment before Wally quipped, "So now El Luchador is our leader." Robin elbowed him as he passed by.

They were led down the tunnel for a while until they reached a metal door. Bane pressed a button, making the door beep before opening to reveal the inside of the factory. Robin took the lead as they exited the passageway, however by the time Percy got through the doorway at the end, he had disappeared.

Bane snorted, "Has that little fool already been caught?"

Aqualad sighed in irritation, "No, he just does that."

Wally put on his goggles, "I'll go ahead, I'll get the intel and be back before the Boy Wonder"

He then sped away, ignoring Kaldur as he called out, "Kid wait!"

Bane raised an eyebrow, "Great chain of command."

The heroes simply ignored him and went on their way, but Percy couldn't help but agree with him.

They crouched behind some crates to spy on the cultists moving the venom around. "It's a massive shipment," Kaldur whispered

"Yeah but they're only taking new product off the line," Superboy observed, "They're not touching this Venom.

"Maybe freshness counts?" M'gann suggested, knowing it was likely not the case.

Once they had reached a more secure point in the above railings, Kaldur turned to M'gann, "Miss Martian, can you go invisible and find out who the buyer is?"

She nodded, "On it." And disappeared from sight.

That left Aqualad, Superboy, Bane, and Percy to wait for the others to return or check in.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Superboy spoke up, "Did you mean what you said back there?"

The others looked at him in confusion, except for Percy, who didn't even look up. "You know the answer to that, so does Bane."

Aqualad looked confused for a moment, before he saw the slight look of fear on the criminal's face. He got the idea.

Superboy narrowed his eyes, "You know the League won't like that kind of attitude."

Percy chuckled to himself, "The League… I've faced down gods before and ended up on top. A group of goodie toe shoes who can't even kill is not really high on my list of things to worry about."

At that, Bane let out a chuckle. Percy's eyes darted to him, "What?"

The criminal held his hands up in defense, "Nothing much. I was just thinking how if every hero thought like you, guys like me wouldn't stand a chance."

Aqualad looked at him in surprise, "Isn't showing weakness against your code?"

Bane snorted, "What code? And I'm not showing weakness, I'm just observing obvious strength." He looked back to Percy, but the teen had gone back to observing the cultists below, not showing a reaction.

" _Guys! We found something!"_ Robin spoke over the psychic link. " _The cultists somehow got a hold of the blockbuster formula from, Cadmus, and they've managed to combine it with the Venom formula."_

Aqualad stood up, " _What? How?"_

Wally chimed in, " _We don't know, but the new formula is apparently more powerful, and permanent."_

Aqualad looked deep in thought, " _That means…"_

" _The buyer is also Kobra's supplier."_ Robin confirmed, " _They were just using the cult to get the new formula."_

" _Miss Martian, do you have eyes on the buyer yet?"_ Aqualad asked.

" _Yes, sharing the image now."_

The team closed their eyes as they received the image of a heavyset blonde man wearing mask. "Sportsmaster…" Aqualad spoke aloud, "He's the buyer?"

Percy, who didn't know or care who Sportsmaster was, spoke impatiently, "What's the plan then? Do we take them down?"

Before Kaldur could respond, Bane grunted, "I have a suggestion."

Before the three heroes could react, he leapt off the railing and started attacking the gunmen below.

"What is he—" Kaldur began to speak, but was interrupted when the window behind the three heroes was smashed as a massive creature, looking like a much scarier version of Blockbuster, jumped through it, going straight for Percy in the middle.

Right before it hit, Percy could only think one thing: _Guess my luck hasn't changed._

The monster slammed its fist into Percy's chest, as it broke the railing with Its went. Percy went sailing towards the ground. To his relief however, his armor took most of the blow. He barely managed to manipulate his water to create a cushion for him, resulting in a soft landing. However, he was immediately set upon by a hail of bullets, curtesy of the cultists. A few bounced off his plating, while others managed to hit some of the chinks. The fiber mesh kept it from piercing his skin, but he knew he would be seeing bruises from them later on as he gritted his teeth and focused on shielding himself with his water. He then noticed a blur of grey moving around the room taking out gunmen, signaling that Wally had arrived.

He soon found himself next to Aqualad, joining his water shield with his as the Atlantean shot bolts of water at the cultists, an idea Percy took to quickly as he sent his own bolts at a faster rate, however even then the cultist were far greater in number. In the background, Superboy was facing off with the monster, but wasn't doing as well as he'd like.

M'gann was doing her best to take enemies out while invisible, but the masked man had come in to see the commotion as well, and had somehow figured out where she was. He threw some sort of baton at her, which she dodged at the last second, but unfortunately he had placed a small bomb on it, which detonated when in proximity with the Martian girl. She went down hard, and probably would have been riddled with bullets had Percy not encased her in a protective cocoon of water, and levitated her behind his shield.\

He glanced at Aqualad, "We need to retreat, now."

The Atlantean nodded in agreement, " _Robin, we need you to get back here, we're leaving."_

" _Busy now!"_ The Boy wonder replied.

Percy gritted his teeth, " _Busy enough to let your team die?"_

" _What?! No! I was just— "_

" _Hey, we can take care of ourselves!"_ Wally argued, " _just because we're not gods—"_

That was when Percy lost it. _"That's it!"_ He balled up a fist, activating his earthquake energy after a few moments, but instead of punching something with it, he opened his hadn and slammed it into the ground, causing the ground underneath everyone to shake violently. Everyone lost their balance, even the monster on the new formula.

Percy spoke fast over the link, but at the same time deadly calm. _"If you can't take requests or criticisms, then you will take orders. As of now I'm taking command of this team. So, Robin, stop whatever you're doing and get back here before I find you and drag your scrawny ass back here myself. Understand?"_

Wally piped up, " _Who do you think you—"_

" _DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"_ Percy's voice sounded in everyone's head with tremendous volume and power, causing everyone to flinch and M'gann to stir in her unconscious state.

" _Okay!"_ Robin responded, " _Just calm down."_

" _We're coming."_ Wally growled.

A moment later Kid Flash appeared behind Percy's water shield, and in the next moment Robin entered the warehouse, swinging on his grapple, above the gunmen that were getting back to their feet, before landing gracefully behind the shield. Percy turned to Kaldur, "I have this, take M'gann and get to the exit, call me when we're ready."

Aqualad nodded and went to do as commanded, scooping up the Martian in his arms with ease. Percy glanced at Superboy, still having it out with the monster, " _We're about to bounce SB, need a hand?"_

The Kryptonian teen yelled as he grappled with the beast, before spinning the larger being around and slamming him headfirst into a wall, dazing it for a moment, "I'm good, let's go I'll cover you."

Percy nodded and gave a yell as he shot the wall of water at the gunmen, sweeping them all away in a devastating wave, before booking it back to the secret entrance, while Superboy ran behind him to stop any stray bullets. Though the water rushed passed him as it flew back into Percy's water pack.

They quickly made it to the metal door, where the others were waiting. Once they were inside, Superboy took a moment to slam it shut before following the others down the earthy tunnel. However, it didn't do much to stop the behemoth who shoulder slammed the door open, allowing the cultists to fire after the heroes.

Percy took a second to think before shouting, "Superboy! Support beams!"

Thankfully the guy understood and he began punching the wooden support beams holding up the tunnel as he passed them. Soon the tunnel behind them started to collapse, forcing their pursuers to stop and turn back, and for the tunnel to go dark.

Light was brought back to the tunnel by Robin's glow sticks, which he had handy in his belt. "How could my first mission as team leader go so wrong?"

Wally snorted, "Oh but it wasn't, the almighty Percy here is leader now, isn't that rig—"

"SHUT UP!" Percy shouted, as he crouched next to M'gann. "We have a team member down."

The two bickerers finally shut up at that and rushed to Miss martians side. After moment of examining her, Robin sighed, "I'm not an expert on Martian physiology, but seeing as she's in a human form, I'd say she's just out cold. She must a be a heavy sleeper, though." He glared up at the guy who had just screamed at them twice.

Percy ignored it and summoned a bit of water from his pack, he whispered, "Sorry." Before splashing the Martian in the face, causing her to wake up sputtering, "Watch out! Guys where—Where am I?"

Kaldur offered her a hand, "You were knocked out during the fight, You're safe now."

She tentatively took his hand and stood up with a small blush as Percy drew the water off of her, but not at Kaldur's gesture. "I… I'm sorry everyone. I let you down…"

"No." Percy stated, "You did your best, we all failed."

"Oh really? You included?" Wally, "Who could tell when all they can hear is you nagging at us an ordering us around like peons!"

"Kid…" Aqualad spoke in a warning tone, but it went unnoticed.

"No actually I'm curious too." Robin spoke up, "What makes you think you should lead us? You don't even have the decency to talk to us unless it's necessary!"

Percy sighed, he was facing the caved in wall, listening to each word they said with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, but now he opened them, and spoke, "You're going to die."

This made many team members shuffle uncomfortably. Robin was the first to recover, "Is that a threat?"

Percy world around, "No, it's a fact. Be it combat, sickness, or old age, every single one of you are going to die one day. But me? I will live forever."

M'gann frowned at this, more confused as to where it was going than anything else, while Superboy stood next to her listening intently with a raised eyebrow. Wally however groaned, "I knew it. Your immortal, so what? That doesn't make you—"

"Better?" Percy finished, "You're right."

This made Wally blink as Percy continued, "Immortality isn't something I wanted. I still don't know how I got it. One day, each and every one of you will grow old and die, and all I'll be able to do is watch as you go. Unable to stop it. Can you imagine watching friends and family grow old and die before you, passing on to the next life, while you are forced to remain, left with only memories.

The team was silent at that, indicating that they could not imagine. At this point Robin and Kid Flash had looks of realization on their faces.

Percy sighed, "I, in a foolish attempt to save myself from future pain, the pain of a losing another team… another family, thought to seclude myself from you all, to not get attached, so that it would be easier when it came time for you all to pass on." His previously somber face now hardened, "But I see now that that won't be possible. You all require hands on attention for this team to work. Each of you are solo acts. Maybe you've worked with your mentors before, but you have no idea how to act in a team."

He looked at Robin. "You can't just run off without telling anybody your intentions. You even had a psychic link, I'd ask what you were thinking, but obviously the answer was nothing at all."

Robin looked like he wanted to protest, but Percy was already moving on to Wally, "You can't just rush into every situation recklessly. You may be fast enough to get yourself out of most situations, but when you're part of a team, your recklessness gets all of us in trouble, and we aren't all as fast as you." Wally simply looked away with his arms crossed, but inside he knew Percy had a point.

Next was M'gann, "You did your best, but you're naïve, inexperienced, and until you gain that experience you should stick with those that have it." She looked down and nodded, as he turned to Superboy, "Same goes for you. You're powerful for sure, but you have too much faith in your strength to get you through every situation, you can't rush into everything with power alone, you need to use your head. understand?"

Superboy scoffed, but nodded reluctantly.

Wally laughed, "Looks like your next Aqualad."

Percy shook his head. "No Kaldur acted perfectly."

Wally's jaw dropped as Kaldur smiled slightly, but both wiped the expressions off their faces as Percy finished, "I may be new to this universe, with very little knowledge about it. But I never relied on knowledge. I have years of experience working with groups, improvising solutions. I've even led people into battle, won wars." This got raised eyebrows from a few, but they dropped at the next sentence, "I know what it feels like to have people under my command die following my orders. I remember ever name on that list, they occasionally still haunt me in my sleep. They always will… It's not a feeling I would wish on any of you, but if any of you still think they should be leader, come forward now, and by all means, state your case."

He waited a few moments, but no one said anything, or even looked him in the eye. "Alright then. Now that that's out of the way, we need a plan. Listen close.

After they had finished discussing what to do next, they headed out of the tunnel, discussing the intel they had gathered.

"We don't have long before they fix what I did to the chopper." Robin commented, "But it's still bugging me, Sportsmaster is the supplier/ buyer, but he doesn't have the juice to acquire the blockbuster formula, or hire the Cult of the Kobra,

"And neither have the chops to combine the formulas," Wally added, "That took some major nerdage."

"So basically," Percy concluded, "There's a lot more to this than meets the eye…" he trailed off as they reached the entrance, only for Bane to step out in front of them, with a trigger device in hand. "Halt niños, I'm feeling… explosive.

Suddenly Percy became very aware of several bricks of C4 placed above them. He looked back down to glare at Bane and was about to speak when Kaldur spoke first, "You betrayed us? Why?"

Percy was in the middle of doubting his entire view on Kaldur's intelligence, when Bane responded, "I want my factory back," and proceeded to explain to them his entire plan and thought process."

" _So bad guys monologue in this universe too?"_ Percy asked over the psychic link.

Wally chuckled, " _Oh yeah, big time. It's so stupid and it always goes badly for them, but they just can't help themselves. Give me a second to get a running start, I'll get the trigger thingy."_

" _Don't bother."_ Percy commanded _"I already warned him what would happen when he betrayed us. It's time I made good on my promise."_

The others went wide eyed at this, but Percy reassured them _"Relax, I won't cut his head off."_

They calmed down at that and returned their attention to Bane who was nearing the end of his rant "…blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effe—AAAAGH!"

He was cut off, ( **hehe** ) as the hand holding the explosive trigger was no longer attached to his body. The rest of the team cringed as the burly man crouched down cursing and screaming over his bleeding stump, as the tendril of water that had emerged from the ground behind him. Slid back into the tunnel it made through the ground, leading from right behind Percy's feet. Percy had manipulated it to tunnel behind Bane as he was talking, making sure not to let him see.

The team watched stunned as Percy casually walked forward and crouched in front of the man who looked at him with hatred, "You crazy bastardo!"

Percy simply smirked, "I told you to go for me, yet you decided to try to blow all of them up. Not a smart move buddy. You're lucky I only took your hand." He then ripped off Banes mask revealing his face scrunched up in pain, and handed it to him, "Here, use this to stop the bleeding."

Bane took it and wrapped it around his stump. Percy stood to face his team, who were still staring at him, "What? His heads still there!"

"Still dude, way too far." Wally said as Miss Martian looked greener than usual behind him, despite her ability to regrow body parts at will.

Percy shrugged, "Eh, baby steps. Now come on. We have more criminals to dismember—I mean stop and detain."

He began making his way down the mountain, while his team stared at him in exasperation before following their new leader, who apparently made jokes now, or at least they hoped.

 **Later**

Sportsmaster had just finished the deal with Kobra, and was about to board the chopper, when suddenly the gunmen opened fire, trying to hit a gray blur as it moved through their ranks.

Kobra turned to Sportsmaster, "Take the shipment!"

Sportsmaster was making his way towards the chopper when Superboy landed hard in front of him, blocking his path. He got ready for a fight, but widened his eyes when he was suddenly struck by an invisible figure.

As Sportsmaster fought with M'gann Superboy looked at the creature, "Go again?"

The creature snarled and charged at him, only to slammed away from the side by a massive torrent of water, being manipulated by Percy. The creature was thrown away, but the torrent didn't let up as Aqualad stepped next to Percy, and activated his eel tattoos. He then plunged his hands into the stream, electrifying the water and the beast along with it. It screamed for a moment, before falling unconscious from the pain.

Percy nodded to Kaldur as he let off the stream, "Go help, Wally with the cultists."

The Atlantean nodded and went off, leaving Percy alone. The god looked to see Robin and Kobra going at it, with Kobra obviously being the better martial artist. He started making his way over, dodging and blocking gunfire as he went, holding his vambraces in front of his face. " _Robin, I'll take Kobra, go help M'gann and Superboy."_ Sportsmaster currently had M'gann in a chokehold as he fired at Superboy with an assault rifle.

" _But I can take this guy!"_ Robin protested as he barely dodged another attack from the larger man.

" _Eventually, you might, but they need you now. Besides, "gods" are more my specialty."_

Robin was obviously unhappy about it, but dropped a smoke bomb anyway, ducking away to help his teammates while Kobra coughed and waved the smoke away. When it cleared, Percy was standing a few yards away.

Kobra narrowed his eyes at him, "Another insect has come to pester me. No doubt you will use your cheap abilities to fight me, as any coward would against a god."

Percy felt his eye twitch. He started drawing water out of his pack and twisting it around in his hand, "You know I could, in any number of ways, it would be so easy. But I already used it to relive one guy of his hand, I like to add a little variety to my life." He put the water away and got into a fighting stance.

Kobra smirked, "How admirable, as foolish as it is."

Percy shrugged, "I also have a bit of a thing against guys who make people bow to him. It's just a pet peeve of mine."

The pale man got into a martial arts stance, "Worry not, it will trouble you no longer once you're dead."

Percy grimaced, "If only. I'm going to enjoy this." And began his attack.

Meanwhile Sportsmaster was not having a good time. He was now juggling between three heroes with the addition of the boy wonder. His martial arts weren't as advanced as Kobras, so he had to use his size and weapons advantage as much as possible, while also maintaining fire on the Kryptonian, while also keeping the Martian in his grasp. Needless to say, he wasn't doing well.

Eventually he growled, "Screw it!" and tossed M'gann at Superboy, sending them both crashing to the ground, before firing his rifle at Robin as he backed up into the chopper. The boy was forced to dodge and find cover while Sportsmaster closed the doors.

Robin came out of cover just as the chopper took off, growling to himself, "He's getting away!"

"No he's not." M'gann corrected, holding up an explosive trigger while Superboy smirked behind her."

Robin grinned at that, "Nice one Miss M. Blow it."

She pressed the trigger, setting off the C4 in the chopper, sending it spiraling down. Unfortunately, it landed right on top of the factory, setting it on fire. The three heroes' attention was then drawn to the fight between Percy and Kobra. Percy was holding his own, but Kobra was almost as good a martial artist as Black Canary, and was mercilessly pummeling him with everything he had.

When the factory was set on fire however, Kobra snarled at his opponent in anger, "Filthy little gnat!" he then unleashed a furious barrage of attacks, slowly pushing Percy back towards the burning building. The armored hero was doing his best to block the attacks, but even with his reflexes he couldn't keep up with the Kobra's technique. Finally, Kobra unleashed a flying punch to Percy's face, sending him down to his knees.

Kobra stood over him triumphantly, "You may have set us back a few months, but with your death, will we soon be back on track. Soon enough, everyone will know the foolishness of a mortal such as a yourself challenging a god… like… me…"

The man trailed off as Percy lifted his head, revealing a cut on his bruised cheek, dripping golden liquid. The two locked eyes as Percy smirked, "What? You've never seen a god bleed before?" Then, as Kobra was watching him, his sea green irises began to glow brightly, and he thought he saw the whites of his eyes flash golden for a moment.

The next instant however, Percy somersaulted forward, before launching his body upward with both arms, driving his feet into the cult leaders chin, sending him stumbling back. Before he could recover, Kobra was then set upon by a string of martial arts techniques even he couldn't keep up with. First there was a flurry of punches and palm strikes that seemingly came out of nowhere followed by a spinning elbow strike into the man's gut, sending him two his knees. He was brought back up however with a powerful uppercut that sent him flying upward, before he was shot back down when Percy somewhat impossibly, jumped into a midair somersault, bringing his right leg down on Kobra's shoulder to send him crashing to the ground. Kobra groaned as he slowly pushed himself off the ground, looking up to see his opponent in front of him yet again, with a terrifying fire in his eye. Before he could get too his feet Percy performed a skillful roundhouse kick, sending the man flying backwards, landing on his ass in a very ungodly manner. Kobra looked up at his opponent in disbelief as he scrambled backwards, "H-how! What is this?"

Percy seemed to consider it for a moment before answering, "Kung Fu maybe? I don't know man, but honestly, does it really matter to you?"

Before the so-called god could respond, Percy delivered a ferocious kick to the man's face, knocking flat out.

Percy took a moment to savor his victory for a moment, as the fires burned behind him, when he noticed his team standing several yards away, staring at him in awe. The rest of the goons lay unconscious behind him. "Uh, is everyone okay?"

Wally broke out of it the fastest, "Who cares? How the hell did you do that? I thought you weren't good at hand to hand combat!"

Percy looked down at Kobra, "I'm not. Or at least… I wasn't. We were mid fight when all of a sudden, it was like it all clicked… which doesn't make sense at all does it."

"Nope," Robin responded, "You can't all of a sudden become a good enough fighter to take down guys like Kobra without breaking a sweat."

Kaldur spoke up, "Maybe it has something to do with your godhood?"

Percy frowned at that, he didn't think he was the God of Karate, but stranger things had happened, "Maybe…"

"Well, whatever it is," Robin stepped forward, "I think we picked the right guy to lead."

Percy almost smiled at that, but the moment was ruined when he followed it up with, "Which automatically makes you the guy who get to explain this mess to Batman." He then walked away laughing.

Percy sighed before looking at the others, who had mixed looks of pity on their faces, "Sportsmaster?"

M'gann sighed, "He must have jumped out before the crash, and he's out of my telepathic range. He's gone."

Percy smiled, "It's alright, we destroyed the formula, that's what's important. And we may still find him later. Aqualad, contact the league, they'll need to see this. M'gann, call in the bioship."

They nodded and did as told, while I put my fingers up to my mouth to whistle for Blackjack, I was ready to get off this island.

 **One more time skip.**

"A simple recon mission. Observe and report." Batman lectured. "You will all receive written reports detailing your many flaws. Until then, good work."

The team was lined up at back at the mountain, hanging their heads as Batman pointed out everything they did wrong, except for Percy, who was mustering all his willpower not to shout out, "Oh no! written reports! So terrifying." But Batman's last comment made them all look at him in surprise.

Batman continued "No battle plan survives first contact. It's how you adapt to the situation that shows your true potential. And who you choose to follow that shows your true character. Though I must say, I didn't expect you to choose Percy."

Said leader stared down the bat readying his finest retort, when Wally beat him to it, "I think we all can agree he was the obvious choice."

Percy looked at the speedster in disbelief as batman snorted, "Very well, you all are dismissed, except your new leader. We need to have a word."

Once they had all left the room Percy looked back at Batman, "So? Is this about that guy's hand?"

Batman raised an eyebrow, "What guy's hand?"

Percy blinked, "Hand? What hand? Nobody mentioned a hand."

Batman stared at the teen for a few moments before moving on. "Word has spread through the League about your godhood. Wonder Woman in particular was interested in it, and requested to take you to Themyscira next month."

Percy slumped, "Why?"

Batman narrowed his eyes, "I'd imagine analyzing you, see how much of a threat you are. You did become a master martial artist in the span of a moment after all."

Percy shrugged, I don't know about master…"

Batman raised an eyebrow, before unleashing a series of impossibly fast strikes at Percy, only for him to block or dodge all of them, barely, before he stopped, not even breathing unevenly. "I'd say master."

Percy panted a bit, "Yeah? If I'm a master then what are you?"

Batman ignored him and turned to leave, "I expect a full mission report on my desk by tomorrow morning."

Percy cleared his throat meaningfully, causing the dark knight to pause, "What?"

Percy rolled his eyes, "Tyson! How did he do?"

Batman paused to consider for a moment before answering, "His enhanced senses were useful for detecting and tracking down crimes in progress. He also showed impressive restraint when taking out normal criminals. His words were "The mortals require light taps, or else they don't get up."'

Percy nodded, expecting nothing less, "Still think he's not trustworthy?"

Batman turned around to face Percy, "He was very eager to save as many lives as possible, so eager in fact that I had to do some convincing to get him to before morning came. He has pure heart for sure, but he's too young and immature to make the tough decisions that come with the serious missions. Until he matures a bit more, he will not be a part of the main missions."

Percy was not happy with that, but he couldn't argue with the logic. Batman continued however, "He would do well to go on patrol again however. I'm sure he would be thrilled for you to join him."

With that he left the room, via the teleporter, going off to who knows where. Percy sighed and made his way to his bedroom.

He arrived to find Tyson snoring loudly on his bed, still wearing his super hero outfit. Percy couldn't help but chuckle at him, "Sleep well Mr. T.

He closed the door behind him quietly and made his way to the living room, where the rest of the team was hanging out and talking. When they saw him enter, they all seemed a bit surprised, and went quiet.

Percy cleared his throat, "I know this is a bit out of character, but Tyson's snoring logs in our room so I figured I'd hang out here. That okay?"

They looked at each other for a moment before M'gann smiled warmly, "Of course!"

"Have a seat, oh fearless leader." Wally patted the spot next to him. As Percy sat down he continued, "We were just talking about the way you took down Kobra. You sure you weren't taking secret lessons with Canary while you were ghosting us?"

Percy smirked and shook his head, "No, no I don't know what happened."

"Hey about Tyson," M'gann spoke up, "How was his patrol?"

Robin snickered, "Yeah how was Mr. T's first night out?"

Percy smiled proudly, "It went fine, just like I knew it would. Batman said he had to practically drag him away from the criminals he was so into it. Though I think he's feeling the ramifications of it now."

Aqualad laughed, "Sounds like the makings of a true hero."

"You know I was thinking," Wally spoke up, "We should get you a name."

Percy blinked, "I have a name, it's Percy."

"He means a hero name." Robin clarified, "Like Mr. T. Though I don't think Mr. P. is a good idea."

"Oh, how about Spartan," M'gann suggested, "They were might Greek warriors right?"

Percy flared his nostrils, "Yeah but they were also servants of Ares, not my thing."

M'gann nodded in understanding as Robin spoke again, "I was thinking: the Kraken. It's on theme, and it's likely to put fear into the hearts of criminals… eventually."

Percy chuckled, "Nice but not my style."

"What do you think your name should be?" Aqualad asked.

Everyone looked at him silently as he considered it for a moment, before he answered, "How about my full name: Perseus?"

Wally blinked, "Wait, you mean Percy is short for Perseus?"

"Wasn't he a son of Zeus though?" Robin asked, "That's seems a bit inaccurate don't you think?"

Percy chuckled, "I've never thought of my own name of inaccurate. My mom named me Perseus, because the original was one of the few Greek heroes to get a happy ending. She thought it would bring me luck."

The others fell silent once more, none sure what to say, as they all knew that it didn't work.

Eventually however Wally tried to break the ice, "I mean you could do that, but I don't know if it will really scare the villains like "he Kraken"" what does it even mean?"

Percy smiled and leaned back on the couch, "It means "The Destroyer""

After one more moment of silence, Superboy nodded his head, "I think that'll do it."

The others all nodded and murmured their agreements as Percy laughed loudly, louder than any of them had ever heard before.

"It's settled then." Robin confirmed, "Say hello to the earths newest hero, named after one of its oldest: Perseus."

The team let out playful cheers before going back to thing they were talking about before. Percy was able to voice his opinion a bit as well, even though he knew next to nothing about most of the conversation.

Percy smiled as he talked, joked and laughed with his team, but as he was doing so, for a split second he though he saw Leo, Piper, Jason, Frank, Hazel and Annabeth sitting in their places. But they were gone as soon as they came.

Percy stared at his new team for a moment, before joining in the conversation once again, while thinking inside: _This time, it_ will _be different._

 **Chapter 4!**

 **So we got the first mission, and a first look at the basic armor design. The final design will have some extra features I'm excited about, but that will come in the next chapter.**

 **I've noticed a few comments about the dialogue being confusing at time, I'd like to say I can fix that but I honestly was doing my best up until now. With chapters as large as this I try my best to avoid repetition and keep clarity, but it's not easy. Maybe if you are more specific on how it's confusing it will help with future chapters. Sorry. I actually looked over this one, which is something I rarely do. Idk why it's just painful.**

 **Also about Tyson and the possible pairing, nothing will happen until five years after this, when he's around 16 mentally. Just remember that I guess. I must admit though someone suggested Tyson and M'gann as a pairing and It's been slowly growing on me. if anyone thinks that's a bad idea, frst remember that the cannon pairing for her is with a one year old clone with the physical age of 16, while she herself is 48 chronologically and 16 physically. Age doesn't really seem to matter to her is my point.**


	5. Chapter 5

Percy POV 

"No."

"Come on Percy! You're being ridiculous!" Robin argued.

"I'm being ridiculous?" I exclaimed, "Have you looked at yourselves in the mirror? Capes are completely unnecessary and silly looking to boot!"

"They are not!" M'gann yelled, which surprised everyone.

Robin, M'gann and I were in the kitchen discussing my new armor, even though the current model worked pretty well last time. Tyson and Superboy were hanging out down at the forge, and Wally was on the couch watching TV and shoveling junk food into his mouth, with Kaldur on the couch next to him, as he was weirdly into land dweller television, however even he looked up in shock at the shyest member of the team's outburst.

M'gann, who had been looking at me angrily, suddenly blushed as if realizing what she was doing, "I'm sorry it's just… please tell me he's wrong! I wanted to make a good impression on Earth…"

The others looked at me accusingly, causing me to sigh, "You look fine M'gann, I didn't mean it, I just really don't want a cape."

She sighed in relief while Robin sighed in exasperation, "It's barely a cape! With Miss Martians assistance, each strip will be able to stretch up to 50 feet in length with no problem, and like my cape, it will be bulletproof!"

I raised an eyebrow? "Your cape is bulletproof?"

The boy rolled his eyes, "Duh, how many times do I have to tell you, it's not just a fashion statement, it's also a unique tool."

I sighed in defeat, "Fine."

Robin fist pumped and began drawing something on his notepad, "Now, how do you feel about a fish mask?"

I got up from my seat as the two began laughing. M'gann grabbed my arm as I went to leave, "Wait where are you going? We were just joking."

I smiled reassuringly, "I'm going to go check on Tyson and Superboy, they've been down there for a while."

She nodded, shivering at the thought of the forge, "I don't know how they stand it…"

I chuckled as I left, "The fact that they're both fire proof probably has something to do with it."

I made my way to the tunnel leading to the forge, which now had its own door, making the hallway look as if Tyson hadn't ripped a hole in it. I made my way down towards the loud clanking of the forge, ignoring the rising heat as I did so, until I emerged the cavern, just in time to see Tyson hide something behind his back, while Superboy stood next to him, trying to look natural leaning on the anvil, but ending up just looking very awkward.

I raised an eyebrow, "What are you hiding?"

Superboy kept a straight face, but Tyson immediately sighed. "It's no use SB, he saw right through it."

'SB' rolled his eyes and smacked Tyson on the arm, "We would have been fine if you hadn't cracked so easily."

I watched their bickering with amusement, before I clapped my hands to get their attention. "Well? What did I walk in on?"

Tyson looked down sadly, "It was supposed to be a surprise…" He brought his hands back into view, to reveal a familiar watch in his humongous hands.

I looked at it in shock… "Is that…"

He nodded and held it out for me to take it. I walked forward slowly and took it from his hand, holding it delicately in mine, "I thought it was lost."

He nodded, "It was, but I've been working ever since to create a new one, better than before. It was made of Celestial Bronze before, but now it also has regular enhanced bronze bonded to it. Try it out."

I nodded and slipped the watch onto my wrist, before clicking the timepiece. In the next instant, the watch grew and transformed into a full-sized bronze shield, with the images of my first adventure with Tyson.

"So cool…" I noticed Superboy whisper as he stared at the shield. I slid the strap off my wrist so I could get a better look at it. I didn't think it was possible, but the designs were even more beautiful than before. I found myself running my fingers over the etching of Annabeth facing off against the Laistrygonians. Eventually I looked up at Tyson and brought him into a hug, "Thanks man, this is awesome."

When I pulled back he was grinning happily, "I was happy to do it brother, it was my first creation after all."

I took another moment to stare at it before I pressed the button behind the shield to collapse it into a watch again. I then noticed that the guilty look on Tyson's face hadn't left, and Superboy was a bit shifty as well. I sighed, "What else is there?"

Superboy nudged Tyson shaking his head to keep his mouth shut, but I could tell Tyson was about to crack. He just needed a little nudge, "Tell me what it is, or I'll take away your forge privileges for a week."

Superboy opened his mouth, probably to point out the fact that I couldn't stop him if I tried, which was likely true, but Tyson didn't think about that as he blurted out, "We were going to go on patrol in Metropolis!"

I raised an eyebrow and looked back at Superboy who was now rubbing his temples, "That's where Superman patrols?"

He winced before responding, "I guess…. Look we are losing out minds in here. I know the Justice League said to stay out of sight until they announce us, but it's been weeks! They're probably just waiting for us to disappear so they don't have to!"

I very much doubted that that was the case, but judging from Superboy's sulking and Tyson's fiddling with his work tools, they both believed it was.

I sighed, "You know you'll get in big trouble if you do this."

Tyson looked way while Superboy shrugged, "So? We might get grounded for a few days but once the world knows we're here to help it won't matter."

I nodded thoughtfully, "Okay… are you both sure about this?"

Superboy nodded but I was looking at Tyson, who took a deep breath, "When I was out with Batman, everyone I saved, screamed in terror at me, even though I had helped them. And I know it will keep happening for a while, but this is the only way they might start to see that I'm not a bad guy."

"We don't deserve to be cooped up like this!" Superboy insisted, "No matter what we are."

I nodded in agreement, "Okay then. You can go but I'm coming with you."

Superboy looked at me in surprise while Tyson smiled widely. "Yes! This is gonna be awesome!"

"Wait a minute!" Superboy looked at me with concern, "You'll get in trouble too!"

I shrugged, "Actually if I play it right I'll get in all the trouble. I'm the team leader, so I have to act like one. Besides, there's nothing they can do to me that I can't handle. Trust me."

Tyson bounced excitedly, before rushing up to hug me, "Thank you brother! I'll go get ready!" He then rushed upstairs to put on his costume, while Superboy and I followed.

As we were making our way up he asked, "Are you really not afraid of what the League will do? You may be a… you know what, but they are still capable of a lot more than any of us."

I smiled, "I'm not looking forward to it, but I agree with both of you. this needs to happen. Also, I've been told on multiple occasions that pissing off beings more powerful than myself is a bad habit of mine, but I'm still here."

He nodded thoughtfully, before mumbling, "Thank you…"

I raised an eyebrow? "What was that? Not everyone has super hearing you know."

He glared at me, before taking a deep breath and speaking clearly, "Thank you Percy. This… means a lot to me. Tyson too, obviously."

I nodded, "Don't mention it. Now go get ready while I suit up, and grab a snack. We're going to be out for a while."

Later, after I had put on my armor and Tyson was ready in his outfit, we walked together towards the teleporter, passing through the living room as we did. The others took notice of us as we did.

"Suits?" Wally asked, sitting up on the couch, "Is there a mission?"

Robin and M'gann looked at us curiously as well, and I could tell Tyson was getting nervous, he looked to me questioningly, wondering what to say. I spoke bluntly, "Supes Tyson and I are going on patrol in Metropolis."

"Uhhh, you know its daytime there right, "Robin said, "If you're seen the League won't be happy."

"Are you sure this is wise?" Kaldur asked,

d

I nodded, "I am aware, I also don't care. Hey that rhymes."

M'gann looked at us with worry, "But you'll get in trouble… should we come with you or— "

"No." I stopped her, "Cause then you will get blamed as well. Look relax, I know what I'm doing, worst case scenario I get a chewing out from Batman."

"You say that like it's not a terrifying experience…" Wally shivered.

I smirked, "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

 **Later**

"This is not fine!" I shouted, over the sound of gunfire "This is definitely not fine!"

I was currently pinned behind my shield as an entire gang of thugs opened fire on me from across the alleyway. I gritted my teeth as a few bullets grazed my shoulder, however the majority of fire bounced harmlessly off my shield.

Eventually someone in the gang yelled for everyone to stop firing, and a rather tall man walked forward, as the others made way for him. I took this for a leader.

Before he could speak I poked my head up, "Is this the part where you surrender?"

He answered by raising his gun and shooting at my head. luckily, I ducked back down at the last second, uttering a yelp I would definitely deny later if anyone brought it up. He began his rant. "Who the hell do you think you are? You come to our crib, yell: "You're all under arrest." Then run like a little bitch when we get up to respond? Is it just me or do they not make "heroes" like they used to?" He leaned back towards his men, who laughed at his joke, mostly out of respect of course. When the leader turned back to me however, I saw Tyson carefully climb down off the roof of one of the buildings forming the alley, now in his thirty-foot size. He gave me a thumb up as he began sneaking up behind the group of thugs, all the while the leader kept up his taunting, trying to draw me out from my shield.

Eventually he said, "Did you really think just one of you could take on all of us?"

I poked my head up again, this time he didn't bother to shoot, "Well yeah, but one of the girls you were keeping hostage could have been hurt.

The leaders eyes went wide, "How did you know— "

"So, I drew you all out, while my friends freed them. Looks like they're back though." I now put my shield away and stood up. The leader widened his eyes once again as I wasn't assaulted by a rain of bullets, and whirled around to see what happened. He nearly fell on his ass as he saw a very large one-eyed man holding all of his subordinates lined up next to each other in his arms, while they struggled helplessly, unable to speak as their mouths were covered the rough material covering his arms.

Before the leader could react, Superboy slammed down on the asphalt in front of the man, before standing up with a glare. "And we're not happy." He then delivered a solid punch to the man's stunned face, knocking him out with ease.

I looked up at Tyson, "Uh, Mr. T?" I gestured to the men in his arms, causing him to look down and realize they had gone unconscious from the lack of air.

He quickly dropped them unceremoniously on the ground, "Oops… it's okay though, they all have heartbeats."

I sighed and chuckled, "And the women?"

"We took them to the hospital," Superboy reported, "Well, Tyson did, he was kind enough to let them ride on his hands, though they weren't very grateful."

Tyson laughed it off awkwardly as he shrunk back down, "Its okay. One of them said thank you before they ran away."

I smiled at my brother, "You're doing great bud, I'm proud of you. But can someone please tell me whose idea it was to have the only one not invulnerable take the attention of the gunmen?"

The two looked at each other for a moment before looking back at me. Tyson spoke with a frown, "It was your idea brother…"

I sighed, "Yeah I know. But you guys should feel free to speak up when I come up with crazy ideas like that, understand?"

Tyson nodded firmly, while Superboy shrugged, "Dully noted."

I nodded and walked past them, examining the gangsters, 'Did you call the police to pick up the trash?"

Tyson pulled out a phone and held it up proudly, "I did it right before we arrived.'

"Good," I said, "So with the, what, dozen girls we saved?"

Superboy nodded, "10 girls but close."

I nodded, "Okay the with the 10 girls we just saved that adds up to about 164 people saved. Not bad for five hours' worth of work. Should we call it a day? We might actually be able to get away with this without the League finding out…"

Superboy nodded in agreement, but Tyson held a finger up, as he closed his eyes. I looked at him seriously, "Do you hear something?"

He nodded, scrunching up his eyes in concentration, "The bridge… something is attacking it, the structure is deteriorating. It'll fall soon."

I nodded, "Alright, split up, get there as fast as you can, I'll fly ahead and do what I can until you get there."

They both nodded and took off, Tyson growing once more and sprinting off as fast as he could, and Superboy matching his speed with his super jumps.

I whistled for Blackjack, and jumped on when he landed in the alley, _Let me guess, we're heading to the bridge?_

As he took off I asked, "Did you see what was going on?"

 _I didn't get a close look but it looked like a couple of dudes breaking everything in sight, like I said I didn't good look but, I think their skin was like a deep red._

I raised an eyebrow at that as we zipped by a helicopter, likely scaring the shit out of the inhabitant. Soon the bridge in question came into view, though the red people were nowhere to be seen. However, I was less worried about that and more about the fact that the bridge looked like it was about to collapse, with a lot of civilians trapped on top of it.

I got in a crouching position on Blackjack, "Keep an eye up top, let me know if those red things come back."

 _Got it Boss._ I then dove off of his back. I landed in the river below and quickly shot towards the underside of the bridge. I started rising on a plume water, but before I reached the top, a blur of red and blue appeared there first.

I watched in surprise as Superman himself held up the bridge, before shaking it off and rising up next to him. "What's up?"

He looked at me in surprise, "What are you doing here?" this was strange to me, as I would have assumed he saw or heard me approaching. Nonetheless I shrugged, "Just helping out. You can let go now." He narrowed his eyes before he noticed several other plumes of water around us reaching up from the river to support the bridge. The "Man of Steel" tentatively let go of the bridge to find that it was stable. He turned to me to say something, but was cut off by a loud boom and the sound of heavy feet approaching on top of the bridge. He looked up, presumably through the bridge with his X Ray vision before looking at me in Alarm, "What are they doing out?!"

I smirked, "I convinced them it was time."

He narrowed his eyes, "The league was planning on announcing them soon! There was a press conference scheduled— "

"And you can still do that." I interrupted, "But they were tired of being cooped up in that cave. They needed to stretch their legs. And we've saved a lot of people today, everyone knows that actions speak louder than words."

Apparently, the big blue boy scout didn't know that. He glared at me one more time before using his heat vision to weld the cracks in the bridge back together. He then flew up to where Tyson and Superboy were helping the civilians.

I shook my head in exasperation, and was about to follow him, as I released the water holding up the bridge, but I was stopped by something that caught my eye. Down on one of the platforms supporting the bridge, a dark hooded figure stood. I swore that they were watching me. however, when I willed myself towards them on my water plume, they stepped behind the supporting beams.

At this I released my hold over the water holding me up and let myself drop into the ocean, where I shot through the water in an instant. I was soon standing on the platform, but when I looked behind the beam they walked behind, they were nowhere to be found.

I stood their confused for a moment, but was shook out of it when I heard, "We had that!" from above.

I sighed and forgot about the figure for a moment. I willed the water to lift me up to the bridge, to reveal Superman standing in front of a ticked off Superboy, and a sheepish Tyson. Next to them was school bus full of children who were looking at the three with a mixture of shock, awe, and fear.

Superman was lecturing them, "As it is your arrivals could have destabilized the entire bridge.

"It didn't." Superboy stated defiantly.

"It could have." Superman insisted, "We don't know the full extent of either of your powers."

I watched with interest as Superboy avoided eye contact with his genetic source. "Well… maybe you could… help me figure that out…"

Superman stood there for a moment before saying, "Batman's… got that covered." Just then his earpiece beeped signaling that he was getting to a call.

While he turned to listen, I couldn't help but scoff at his response, "Really? Batman? The guys skilled and creepy as all hell but what does he know about Kryptonian physiology that you don't know better?"

Superman simply glared at me as he continued his call, "Arrow slow down, what's attacking?"

That's when Tyson spoke up, "I don't understand… aren't you his father?"

This made both Superboy and Superman stiffen. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Superman finished his call before looking at the two awkwardly, "Sorry, Super… boy. Duty calls."

He then began to fly up into the air, but he didn't get very far. He was stopped midair when a very large hand. He narrowed his eyes as the now thirty-foot Tyson brought him before his single brown eye. "What do you think you're doing?"

Tyson glared at him, "You're his father right! How can you ignore him like that!"

Superboy looked up at Tyson in shock, "T its fine!" You don't need to—"

"It's not fine!" Tyson yelled angrily. I sighed and walked forward, ready to calm him down, but I froze at what he said next, "If he's able to spend time with his son then he should! It's his responsibility!"

"It's not!" Superman shouted, "That boy is a clone. Not my son. And I may have held back on you the first time," he positioned his hands-on Tysons fingers, beginning to push them apart. "But not mistake that to mean that you can overpower me."

He then shoved Tyson's hand open, only to be captured again between both of Tyson's hands as he screamed into the Kryptonians face, "You are too his father! You and he smell like father and brother smell! So, you do have to spend time with him!"

I sighed, "Tyson…"

"You have to because…. Because one day you might not be able too!" He continued, "Because one day— "

"Tyson!" I yelled, causing him to turn to me, revealing tears trickling down his face, "Put him down."

"But brother— "

"Now!" I shouted, a little harsher than necessary. Tyson got the message and released Superman, who now looked very confused and uncomfortable.

He glanced at me, "Batman will— "

"Batman will hear about this, I got it." I rolled my eyes at the alien, "Don't you have something better to do right now than threaten to "tell"?"

He glared at me one more time before turning and flying off, to respond to whatever problem Arrow called him about.

I watched him go for a moment before shaking my head and turning to Superboy and Tyson, who was rubbing the tears out of his eye as he shrunk back down, "I'm sorry…"

I put a hand on his shoulder, "I know buddy. And I'm sorry to you two Superboy," I turned to see him still staring at where Superman left. "Superboy?"

He broke out of it and turned to me, "What? oh yeah… sorry I'm just…"

"Disappointed?" I guessed. He nodded, "Don't think too much on it dude. I'm sure he's still a bit freaked out about the whole thing too."

Superboy looked down, "Yeah, you're probably right."

I frowned, unsure of what to say, before it came to me. I clapped him on the arm, "Hey, how cool did you really expect him to be? The guy where's underwear outside his pants and calls it a super suit."

At that he cracked a smile, then chuckled a bit, before full on laughing at it. I even got chuckle out of Tyson, which made me smile triumphantly. "Anyways, we should probably head back to the cave, I think we've done enough for today."

"Wait!" Tyson spoke up, "The bridge is still broken…"

Superboy and I looked at each other then back at him, "I'm sure someone will come around to fix it."

He nodded, "Yeah but I can do it faster, in a few hours even. Can I stay behind?"

I didn't like the sound of that, "By yourself?"

He nodded, "I'll be fine, I know how to get back to the teleporter."

I still felt a thousand worst case scenarios pass through my brain. "I don't know…"

"It's actually not a bad idea," Superboy spoke up, "If he's only seen with other people around it can leave doubt to whether or not he's only being good under duress."

I looked between the two for a moment, before sighing, "Yeah alright."

Tyson fist pump, "I won't let you down brother." He then went to jump off the side of the bridge, growing once more.

I watched him with a proud smile, "I know you won't."

 **Later**

Of course, nothing could stop me from watching the news coverage of the incident while back at the cave. I had unceremoniously removed Wally and Kaldur when we got back, and switched their drama to the news network. Superboy, not having anything better to do, joined me, and eventually Robin, M'gann and Wally joined us as well, each doing their own thing while watching at the same time.

The news was currently on a shot of Tyson from a circling helicopter. He was clinging to one of the beams of the bridge and working on the underside, like a mechanic tending to the undercarriage of a car. The news line was: "Strange creature fixes Metropolis bridge"

Superboy snorted at that, "Of course they don't mention how he helped save the civilians first."

"Yeah, I heard your trip was pretty eventful," Robin commented, "Stories are popping up everywhere about people being saved by an armored man, a strange looking monster, and Superman's mini me." he received a harsh glare from Superboy at that, "But I'm more interested in the fact that you ran into Superman."

M'gann looked up from the screen at this as well, and Wally swallowed the food in his mouth before saying, "You met Big Blue? Yikes, how'd that go?"

Superboy crossed his arms and looked back to the screen, indicating that he didn't want to talk about it. I shrugged, "I don't know what the big deal is with the guy. Sure, he wasn't happy that I took these two out, but he didn't really do anything about it."

""What's the big deal"?" Wally mimicked, "Dude, the guy could blow away the solar system with a sneeze!"

"He could not!" Robin argued, "A moon at a most."

I sighed as I leaned back on the couch, watching Tyson on the screen, "He still seems pretty dorky to me."

Just then as everyone was watching, Tyson seemed to notice the news helicopter and held up his hand to wave at it, unfortunately it was the hand he was using to hold on to the beam. He flailed his arms wildly for a moment before falling backwards into the ocean with a big splash.

M'gann covered her mouth as she giggled at the display, while Robin and Wally howled with laughter. Superboy and Kaldur just chuckled lightly and I smirked at my brother, glad that some things never change.

"H-haha—How can someone so good at fixing and building things," Robin managed to get out, "Be so clumsy?"

"Oh, come on," M'gann shot back, "Percy did say he has the mind of a child." For a moment, I thought I detected a hint of disappointment in her tone, but I ignored it as I spoke up.

"He's young for a cyclops, but that doesn't mean he's dumb. He's likely smarter than some adult humans. The clumsiness however, that's always been there, and I don't think it will go away anytime soon." I said with a smirk.

That got another round of laughs from the team before I continued. "He's always been really good with forging too, and he's only seemed to have gotten better since we got here. I mean Hades, he made me this when he was only seven." I clicked my wristwatch so that it expanded into its shield form.

At the sight of the bronze shield, the other team members got up to get a better look at it. Wally was first, with his jaw hanging wide open, "That's one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Why haven't you used _that_ before?"

I smiled proudly, as I showed it off, while Superboy answered, "Apparently the original was lost for some reason, and Tyson only recently remade it."

"It's beautiful craftsmanship," Kaldur noted

"How does he fit the shield in that tiny watch?" M'gann wondered aloud.

I shrugged, "Magic I would assume."

Wally scoffed, "No really."

I blinked, "It's magic dude, what else do you expect me to say?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. But I know I don't believe in magic. It has to be some super advanced folding technique or something."

I shrugged, "Okay. Well if it were that," I turned the shield back into a watch and tossed it to him, laughing as he readied to catch something heavy, only for it to have the weight of a watch, "Why wouldn't it weigh the same."

He examined the device closely, "There has to be something to it. Robin back me up here?"

The youngest member shrugged, "Sorry dude, there are too many examples of magic nowadays to deny it. Get with the times."

Wally looked at him shock, "What happened to the time when not believing in magic was "getting with the times"?"

Robin shrugged and took the watch, pressing the button to expand the shield, "What are the illustrations?"

I smiled wistfully at the memory, "That was my first adventure with Tyson. He gave me the first watch right after."

As M'gann took a turn marveling at the craftsmanship I explained, "When I first met Tyson I didn't even know he was my brother, or a Cyclops for that matter."

"Uh, how could you not know?" Wally asked.

"The Mist." I responded, "It's a magical veil on the world that keeps mortals from seeing monsters and gods. The mist covering his eye was pretty heavy, so it wasn't until… I friend of mine pointed it out to me that I realized what he was."

"Friend huh?" Wally quipped, "Could this "friend" be her?" He pointed to the illustration of Annabeth fighting the Laistrygonians."

I felt my throat close up as I looked at it. I wasn't sure what to say, luckily however Kaldur picked up on it. "I'm, more interested in this picture," he pointed at the picture of Tyson holding up the Monster Donut box as he faced off with the Hydra, "Is that what I think it is."

I nodded, while also looking at him thankfully, "A hydra. Not fun."

"Wait a hydra?" Robin spoke up, "Like the kind that grows two more heads every time you cut one off, and with one head that breaths fire?"

I nodded, "The same, but it was acid, not fire."

"How did you defeat it?" Kaldur asked, "Did you burn the stumps of each chopped off head, like in the myths?"

"Better." I answered, "A friend of mine blew it up with a cannon."

By the looks of them, they weren't expecting that, but before they could ask more, the electronic voice sounded again, "incoming Cargo from Batcave."

Robin perked up. "The alloy!"

We all followed him to the teleporter room where several large crates at in the tube. I opened one up to find several slabs of a dark looking metal. "Is this it?"

Robin nodded in confirmation "Yep, Titanium-Carbon Fiber or Tiber metal, for short."

I looked at him in surprise, "People really call it that?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "No I just made it up, but it's catchy, right?"

I nodded as I looked back, mumbling, "And ironic."

Before anyone could ask what, I meant by that, the holographic display appeared, with a very unhappy Batman on it. We all stood at attention, though I'll admit mine was a bit more sarcastic than respectful.

"Batman to the cave," he sounded tired, "Two hours ago, a new menace attacked green arrow and Black Canary. The android proved capable of studying and duplicating the powers of its opponents." He displayed a picture of some metallic, elf looking thing, "Green Arrow called in reinforcements, which nearly proved disastrous. As it gained more and more power from each opponent that arrived."

The others murmured in astonishment, "One guy with the powers of the entire League?" Robin wondered aloud, "Who created it? T.O. Morrow?"

"Good guess, Robin." Batman commended. "But know. The technology bears the signature of Professor Ivo.

"But Ivo's dead…" Kaldur noted.

"So, we thought." Batman said. "Perseus."

I saluted ironically, "Yes Ratman?"

Batman narrowed his eyes at me while Robin elbowed me in the side. "Right sorry, Batman. I always forget, you have those pointy ear things."

He continued, "You obviously know you're on thin Ice, and don't care. So, I'll make it simple. We need you and your team to escort the dismantled pieces of the android to the two Star Lab locations in New York and Boston, in case Ivo, or anyone else tries to recover the pieces for reconstruction. Should you fail, there will be consequences for you. Are we clear?"

I nodded, "Yep. Take out the trash, or I'm grounded, I know the deal."

He sighed, "Batman out."

 **Later**

The team was waiting in the trees near where the moving trucks were about to deploy from. Two trucks carried the dismembered parts, while six other trucks acted as decoys. Everyone was riding personalized motorcycles, except for me, as I had chosen to stick with Blackjack.

I sat atop Blackjack next to the others waiting impatiently for the trip to start. After a while, Wally finally said what I'm sure everyone was thinking, "Ratman? Seriously dude? You live way too dangerously."

"I agree," Kaldur said, "I do not see the point in angering the League any more than you already have."

I shrugged as I watched for the signal, "No point per say, its more like a compulsive thing than anything else at this point. Plus I'm kind of wondering what "consequences" Bats was talking about."

I glanced over at the team to see them all staring at me warily, "Not enough to fail this mission! I'll do my best of course, but you know the saying: Curiosity killed the cat."

"Is that supposed to be comforting to us?" Robin asked incredulously.

Before I could respond, I spied the bright form of Superman flying into the air, signaling it was time to go. "Move out!"

Kaldur, M'gann, and Wally followed one truck while Superboy, Robin and I followed the other, with me flying overhead.

" _Is everyone online?"_ I asked, testing the psychic link. One by one everyone gave confirmation, after which I continued, _"Good, you all know what to do, so do your best. I know your main motivation is to keep me in the Leagues good graces—"_

Wally snorted, " _I'm not even sure that's possible at this point."_

I continued, _"But try to remember as well that if this thing is dangerous as they say it is, it'll put a lot of people in danger if it's reassembled. Not only that but it will be a huge pain in the ass to dismantle again, so don't let it happen, got it?"_

" _Got it!"_ Everyone responded.

I nodded as I soared just above the clouds, following the truck on the ground, _"Okay then. I'll stop with the motivational speech then and let you focus. Good luck."_

After that it was silent for a while as we rode, until Robin broke the silence on our groups personal coms. "Since dislike is the opposite of like, is disaster the opposite of aster? See instead of everything going wrong, everything goes right."

"What does that have to do with anything Robin?" I asked as Blackjack dodged a flock of birds.

"I'm just trying to pass the… you might want to get down here."

I raised an eyebrow as I began my descent. "What is it? Enemy contact?"

I got my answer when I broke through the clouds and saw the truck covered in small, green, robotic things that looked suspiciously like—

"Monkeys." Superboy growled, "I hate monkeys."

I blinked as he jumped off his motorcycle to attack the robots, leaving his vehicle to swerve into Robin's, forcing the boy wonder to jump off his as well and grapple onto the back of the truck, "Geeze SB! What was that for!" He yelled.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Superboy pound away at the monkeys. "Superboy, calm down now." I said calmly.

He tore one apart before looking up at me angrily, "I am calm!"

Unfortunately, this gave an opening for the monkeys. One of them suddenly shot a pair of lasers out if its eyes, nailing Superboy directly in the face. He yelled in pain as he clutched his eyes, and was unable to resist as several of the robots grabbed them by the arms and lifted him into the air with the use of their rockets. I resisted the urge to make a wizard of Oz joke as I urged Blackjack to fly towards him, catching him midair as they monkey's let him go.

I grabbed him by his arm as he shot down, and hefted his body onto the back of Blackjack with little effort. "If you were calm you wouldn't be blind right now."

He gritted his teeth as he rubbed his scarred eyes, waiting for them to clear, but didn't say anything more. I sighed and steered Blackjack towards the ground until we were flying alongside the truck, where Robin was still fighting off the monkeys alone. I turned back to my passenger, "Stay with Blackjack until your eyes clear up! I'll go help Robin."

Without waiting for his response, I jumped from Blackjack to the top of the truck. When Robin saw me, he gave a quick wave, "Glad you could join me!" before going back to punching and kicking the assailants away.

I started doing the same, destroying a monkey with each powerful strike as they came at me from all directions, "Any idea what these things are? Where they came from?"

Robin grimaced as he threw a pair of explosive birdarangs at a group of monkeys, "Flying Robot monkeys? Definitely Ivo's tweak style."

I nodded and was about to ask more when the truck shook beneath us as Superboy landed on it hard. He screamed in anger as he began destroying monkeys left and right, in what I soon realized was a blind rampage, as he almost hit me in the process, "Watch it! I told you to stay with Blackjack!"

He growled, "I'm fine!"

I glared at him for a moment, before cursing and shouting, "You know what? I've had enough!"

I then willed the water from my pack and sent it swirling around the truck, piercing through every monkey it came across. I split the stream into three and had them all go in different directions, until after a few moments I didn't see any monkeys left. Robin looked at all the broken parts with an impressed look on his face, "Not bad."

I nodded to him before turning to Superboy, who was still blinking his eyes, trying to regain his vision. I walked up close to him and whispered so Robin couldn't hear, "I understand anger issues, believe me I do. Daddy issues too, probably even better than you do believe it or not. But the moment you let any of that stop you from following orders, is the moment you stop being a useful asset to my team. So until you get a grip, go cool off."

Before he could respond, I gave him a powerful side kick to the chest, sending him flying off the back of the truck and tumbling on the ground behind us.

I turned back to see Robin staring me in shock. "What was that for?"

I shrugged "He needed a time out. If the others ask though, he was knocked off by the monkeys."

Robin narrowed his eyes, "You want me to lie to protect you?"

I snorted, "Please, I want you to lie to protect his pride. So far, he doesn't seem very capable of taking too many hits to it. I don't blame him though, he's not exactly had a smooth awakening to the world, he probably has a lot going through his head."

Robin nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

I nodded, "Of course I am now is the cargo safe?"

He took a moment to maneuver around the truck so he could open the back to check, "We're good, it's still here."

I sighed, "Good, now take a look at those things while I check on the other team."

He did as I said while I reached out to Kaldur mentally, " _Percy to Kaldur, we just got attacked, what's the situation with your team?"_

His voice came back with a tinge of regret, " _We were also attacked. The cargo has been taken. I apologize."_

I cursed silently before responding, " _Don't beat yourself up about it, what's done is done. Start making your way over to us if you can. Don't be surprised if you find Superboy along the way, he was knocked off during the fight."_

" _Got it, we will head towards you right away, Kaldur out."_

I turned to Robin, who had one of the robots plugged into his gauntlet, "Anything?"

He shook his head, "They had GPS installed, but he moment I tried to track one of them the system killed it. I have no idea where the parts have gone…"

I sighed and clapped him on the shoulder as he stood up, "Good job anyway. We managed to keep our half from being taken."

He nodded, "Yeah, with such advanced technology it should take Ivo a while to rebuild the necessary parts. But it will be easier than having to start from scratch. The League will have a smaller window to catch him before he finishes."

I shrugged and took a seat on top of the truck, riding it towards the destination "Well we half succeeded, that's better than total failure."

Robin slumped as he sat next to me, "Yeah, but if it weren't for you we might have failed altogether. Superboy and I didn't have it handled at all."

I watched him hang his head in disappointment for a moment before wrapping my arm around the smaller boy's shoulders, surprising him, "Cheer up kid. I'm sure you would have worked it out somehow."

He looked at me for a moment before relaxing, "Maybe. Though I don't think we could have won if Amazo was reassembled."

I shrugged, "You never know what you can do until you do it. You just have to be willing to take the risk."

He chuckled, "Yeah sure. I guess I never would have thought I could be a superhero when I was 9. But I did it anyways."

I raised an eyebrow, "9 huh? Impressive. I didn't get started until I was twelve."

He looked up at me, "Why? I mean, I had to do it, for my own reasons, but, why did you?"

I frowned at that and stared ahead at the setting sun, "The gods are petty creatures Robin. Long story short, Zeus lost his favorite lightning bolt, and thought I stole it for my father, even though it was obvious that I didn't. he wouldn't have listened to reason however, and demanded I go find it for him and bring it back, or he would start a war between the gods. It was either go on my first quest and become a hero, or watch the world burn."

Robin looked at me in shock, " _That_ was your first mission as a hero? That's a bit heavy for a first timer, isn't it?"

I laughed, "Maybe. But it only got more difficult from there. It was always one petty quest for the gods or another, even when I had more important things to do, like saving the world, the gods always put their needs first."

Robin listened intently, before speaking, "That's why you didn't want to be a god isn't it?"

I chuckled dryly, "Oh buddy… I wish that were the only reason."

To my relief, he could sense the meaning behind that statement, and remained quiet for the rest of the trip to Boston, choosing instead to enjoy the sunset in front of us as the truck drove down the highway.

 **Later**

After we had dropped the android parts at the Star Labs location in Boston, the team took a teleporter back to the cave, now all together. Kaldur, M'gann, and Wally seemed a bit depressed, as they had failed their part of the mission, while Superboy glared at everything while also avoiding eye contact with everyone, which I took to mean he had calmed down, since that was his normal look. The only ones in a remotely good mood were Robin and I.

The first thing we saw when we exited the teleporter was an unhappy looking Batman standing in the middle of the room, so none of us knew if he was mad or not.

"You lost one of the pieces." He stated, getting straight to the point

"It was our fault sir," M'gann spoke up, causing Kaldur and Wally to hang their heads as well, however batman didn't acknowledge them, choosing instead to stare straight at me.

"The team leader is directly responsible for his team's success."

I stared back at him unflinchingly while Robin spoke up, "What? But that's not fair! We might not have kept our piece if not for—"He was stopped with an elbow from me, causing him to look at me in confusion.

"I must protest as well," Kaldur spoke up, "The loss of the second piece was the fault of our team alone."

Batman didn't falter however, something that didn't surprise me, "I didn't say it's not your fault as well, but the management and organization of subordinates is the responsibility of the leader. Obviously, your team was poorly organized." 

The others looked like they wanted to keep protesting, but I could tell Batman wasn't going to budge on this, nor would I expect him to. "Guys! Thank you but that's enough!"

All of them looked at me in surprise. "Dude we're trying to help you!" Wally argued, "It's not fair."

"Life's not fair." I responded, "And he's right. I'm the leader, I'm in charge, I didn't plan it out well enough."

"But, how were you supposed to plan for flying robot monkeys?" M'gann asked, sounding genuinely more confused than argumentative.

"'We're getting off track," Batman stated. "We had a deal. You messed up, now there will be consequences."

I smirked, "Fair enough, bring it on. What are you going to do? Take away my cave privileges?"

To my horror, he actually smiled a little bit. I felt the consecutive shiver of my team around me as well. "It's simple. We'll expand your responsibilities."

At that, Green Arrow entered the room, only to move aside to reveal… oh gods…

"This is the Green Arrows niece and new protégé," Batman explained, "She goes by Artemis, and she will be your new team member starting today."

Behind me, I heard Wally whisper, "I don't see how this is a consequence…" but trailed off when he felt the ground shaking slightly underneath his feet."

Batman felt it too and looked at me in confusion, "What are you doing? What's wrong?"

Each word he uttered only fueled my growing rage as I glared at Artemis, who was starting to get nervous and backing away. "Who the hell do you think you are?" I spoke with anger radiating off every word.

She looked at me in a mixture of confusion and fear, "H-he just told you! My name is Artemis! Are you doing this?" She pointed down at the ground, which was still trembling, but not enough to affect the structure of the cave, like before.

I simply glared at her and began walking towards her, "You have a lot of nerve Manhunter, I suggest you get out of that form before I make you."

Behind me M'gann flew forward, "Percy? That's not Uncle J'onn… I'd feel it…"

I glared at her, "Then you aren't feeling hard enough. It's either him or some other shape shifter, I honestly don't care. You _will_ stop it now, or we will have a serious issue."

"Artemis" argued again, "Look I'm not sure what or who you think I am, but his is my real face, I'm not a shapeshifter."

"Perseus!" Batman barked. "I don't know what you think is going on here but calm down! Nobody's trying to trick you, and that is not Martian Manhunter!"

I turned to him, "Really? You expect me to believe that? Athletic build, grey eyes, tan skin, blond hair in a ponytail… you expect me to believe that it's just a coincidence she looks exactly like my Wise Girl? The Martian looked into my head, only he could know what she looks like. Is this your idea of a "Consequence"?"

Batman still feigned ignorance, "I have no idea what you are talking about? She isn't this "Wise Girl" her name is Artemis!"

"Liar!" I yelled back as I kept advancing on the girl, "Either he shifts out of that form, I will make him."

In an instant Batman appeared in front of me, "That's not happening."

I stared at him, "Move."

He glared back, "No."

The room was incredibly quiet for a few moments, until Batman made a move forward, only to be thrown back against the ceiling, water wrapped around his legs and forcing his hands on either side of him. To top it all off his mouth was covered with water, just in case he had any fancy voice activated gadgets.

Once I was sure he was secure I turned back to the Martian, who was now staring at me in pure fear. I sensed no movement from my team members behind me, probably due to the shock of seeing one of their precious "Leaguers" get taken down so easily."

The two archers in front of me recovered quickly however, and began opening fire on me as I advanced towards the Martian, only for their shots to be blocked by my wrist shield."

One arrow however, exploded on impact, covering me in some weird foamy substance that quickly solidified, rendering me immobile.

I struggled to get out as Green Arrow approached me, leveling an arrow directly at my face, "I don't know you kid, but I don't think you can survive a shot to the face, put the Bat down, now."

I glared at him, before closing my eyes to concentrate. I willed the water left in my pack to begin breaking me out of my trap, making the Archer raise an eyebrow, "Okay, this isn't good. Hey. Aren't you guys his teammates? A little help please?"

A moment later M'gann, Kaldur, and Robin were in front of me, with pleading looks on their faces. "Perseus, you have to stop! You are seeing an enemy where there is none!" Kaldur shouted.

"She's not a shapeshifter dude," Robin insisted, "I don't know who she looks like to you, but it's just a coincidence, I promise!"

I was barely registering their words however, as I was too busy staring directly at the poor copy, who was backing away nervously as my water continued to break me out. I gave them my attention however, when M'gann said, "If you don't stop Percy I'm going to have to make you."

I gave her a look that made her flinch, "You don't want to do that. You saw what happened to him didn't you?" I gestured to her uncle in the form of my greatest regret. "And you don't want to see what will happen to him if he doesn't SHIFT OUT OF IT!" I yelled that last part at him, but he continued to feign ignorance.

"I can't! this is my real face!"

M'gann held up hand, "I'm sorry Percy, you leave me no choice."

Before I could protest any more, her eyes began to glow, and everything went black.

Third Person POV

After M'gann knocked Percy out with her mind, Batman fell to the floor, now free of the water holding him up. He landed on feet, before standing up and stalking towards where the god lay in the foam. In front of him, M'gann was hunched over, hugging her knees and shaking slightly.

As he examined the teen, making sure he was truly out, Artemis was trying to figure out what the heck just happened she looked at her "Uncle", "When you told me I should join the team, you didn't mention that it was full of crazy people!"

"Hey!" Wally shot back, "What do you mean "full"?"

Before Artemis could respond, Kaldur spoke to M'gann as he crouched next to her, "Miss Martian, are you alright?"

She looked up, showing her face looking similar to Percy's when he learned of his Godhood, only much less reserved. "H-He told me not to look in his head! I thought it was just for privacy…"

"What did you see?" Batman asked from next to Percy, "Do you know what set him off?"

She shook her head as the tears continued to fall, "I.. it's hard to sort out. All I can see is images of people dying, and pain, so much pain. He has so much loss, pain, hatred, and despair festering inside him…"

Kaldur spoke up, "Earlier… he confided in me. he said he was on a mission before he was brought to our world, one where… where he watched many of his friends die in front of him."

That put a somber mood to the room, but M'gann shook her head, "That's only a part of it, a big part but just a part. He has what feels like decades worth of trauma… but that's not all."

"What do you mean that's not all?" Robin asked incredulously, "That sounds like enough."

"Yeah seriously." Artemis agreed, "What the heck did I just walk in on?" She looked at Green Arrow, but he could only shrug helplessly.

"Miss Martian," Batman asked seriously, "What else is there?"

She looked up at him as she wiped her tears away, "It's like… he feels all of it, all the time. The entire time we've been with him it's been bubbling under the surface."

"Seriously?" Wally asked, still standing in the back next to Superboy, "I mean there's been times but… he doesn't exactly look like it all the time."

She nodded, "it's there but, he ignores it. He pretends it's not there."

"Why would he do that?" Superboy asked, speaking up for the first time. However before anyone could respond, the electronic voice spoke, "Recognized: MR. T."

Everyone froze as Tyson came through the tube, "Hello! I'm back from fixing the… bridge…" He looked over the seen in confusion, and everyone tensed up for when he saw Percy in his current state, but to their surprise, his eye fixated on Artemis, "Annabeth?"

Everyone was confused for a moment, except Batman, who realized what was going to come next due to the Cyclops body language, "Superboy!" He barked, "Stop him!"

The teen reluctantly nodded and stood in front of Tyson as he began charging forward. Artemis stumbled back, "What is _that?_ "

Wally snapped his fingers to get his attention, "No offense, but I think it would be best if you stopped talking now."

She didn't look happy about it but complied as Tyson kept approaching her, just slowed considerably by Superboy pushing against him, "What are you doing SB? Let go!" He said in mild annoyance. "I want to see… wait." He suddenly stopped, sniffing the air curiously, much to Superboy's relief as he fell back in exhaustion, "You aren't Annabeth…"

"Who is Annabeth?" Batman asked gruffly. Unfortunately, this drew attention to where Percy was knocked out.

"Brother?!" Tyson exclaimed, before rushing towards Percy. He soon reached him and broke the foam of him with ease, before holding him in his arms, shaking him slightly, "Percy? Why won't he wake up? What happened?"

He then noticed M'gann crying near him. He reached out with a hand hesitantly, making Artemis and Arrow tense, only to relax as he simply patted her on the shoulder with his meaty hands, "Why are you crying? It's okay he's only knocked out, we can wake him up!"

M'gann could only stare at him sadly. Batman spoke up again, "Tyson, who is Annabeth?"

He looked up at him, "She's… she was Percy's girlfriend. I heard that she died…" He looked down at that, before looking up at Artemis suspiciously, "Why do you look like her? Are you trying to pull a mean trick?"

Artemis quickly shook her head, "No! I swear I've always looked like this, I'm… sorry I guess? Though I can't really help what I look like…"

Tyson still looked suspicious, "Swear on the Styx it's true."

Artemis blinked, "What?"

"It's a sacred Oath," Kaldur explained, "These two take it very seriously, just say you swear on the Styx and he will believe you."

Artemis nodded in thanks, "Okay yeah, I swear on the Styx that I've always looked like this, and I don't mean anything against you guys!"

She then flinched as thunder boomed outside the mountain, loud enough for them to hear, while Tyson nodded in Satisfaction, "Okay… but Why is Percy asleep?"

"He thought Artemis was a shapeshifter disguised as Annabeth to mess with him, so we had to put him to sleep" Robin explained. "I guess it makes sense now…"

"Uh," Artemis chimed in, "Maybe to you all, but I'm still seriously confused!"

"To sum up," Batman spoke up, "What just occurred was an unfortunate misunderstanding, born of an even more unfortunate coincidence." He sighed, sounding exhausted, "This kid just keeps getting more and more complicated."

"Tyson," Kaldur addressed the cyclops, "You were there at that battle, weren't you?" Tyson's expression darkened at this but he nodded hesitantly, so Kaldur continued "Is there anything you can tell us about it?"

Tyson was silent for a moment before answering, "No."

"What do you mean "no"?" Batman asked, "We're only trying to help him!"

Tyson avoided eye contact, "I-I can't…"

"You can't remember?" Robin asked, "What?"

Tyson still didn't respond, but M'gann could guess what the problem was, "It hurts, doesn't it?"

Tyson could only nod, "I… I have to stay strong. For Percy. No matter how much it hurts for me it's a thousand times worse for him."

After that the room was silent once more. It wasn't until a minute later that Robin asked, "What do we do?"

Batman answered, "Whatever we can…"

 **Elsewhere**

In a small tech, underground laboratory, a young, disheveled looking scientists hunkered over a microscope, studying his sample with increasing annoyance. The room was dimly lit by a single hanging lightbulb. He was so invested, that he didn't notice his employer walk up behind him.

"Have you made any progress?" the commanding voice caused the man to jump in his seat, before whirling around to face him, "Mr. Luthor? I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in!"

The tall bald man smirked, "Ironic. Progress, Mr. Langstrom, have you made any?"

The man nodded,, turning around a bit flustered, "I… ah… well I've discovered a few things. Unfortunately, no matter how hard or how long I search there is no trace of anything resembling DNA in the sample…"

Luthor frowned, "So cloning at this point?"

Dr. Langstrom sighed, "Right now, impossible. But! But but but…." He rushed to the other end of the room, where an animal cage sat. He talked while he did so, as Luthor strolled silently behind him, "The substance is… impossible, to say the least. It shows no sign of molecular deterioration, like every other substance in the universe. Even away from the source it will remain the same as it was when it left the body."

Luthor raised an eyebrow as Langstrom showed him the cage. Inside a hamster was running desperately on its wheel, "What is this?"

The scientist sniffed and said, "I added a micro ounce of the substance to the hamster's water."

Luthor shot him a dangerous look, "I did not authorize such a test. We only have a finite amount of this stuff and you feed it to a rodent?"

Langstrom gulped, "Of course sir I understand but listen: the hamster has been running on that wheel for three days now."

Luthor calmed down a bit at that, anger turning to curiosity, "Really? No rest, no sleep?"

Langstrom nodded excitedly before once again walking to the other side of the room towards a monitor, "Food or drink either! It's amazing that it lasted this long but make no mistake: it's running itself to death. Its heart will give out eventually, but for some reason the substance has kept it going for longer than what was previously possible."

Lex nodded, starting to smile a bit in anticipation, "Interesting… anything else?"

The scientist grinned widely, "Yes! And this is the most fascinating thing, and why I think you'll be less disappointed about my inability to clone it. "

Luthor raised an eyebrow, "I'm listening."

"The two ounces or so that your men managed to retrieve from the scene gives off a strange type of radiation. Not harmful to anything at least at this dosage, but powerful all the same. If harnessed correctly, it can be used as an energy source."

Luthor leaned in excitedly at that, "Oh? How much energy are we talking here?"

Langstrom did the math in his head for a moment before responding, "I believe the sample you've given me could sustain everything in a suburban household."

Luthor widened his eyes, "From just two ounces… how long?"

Langstrom shrugged, "If everything I've concluded is correct, the radiation is continuous, with no sign of dying down, and the substance doesn't deteriorate…"

Luthor finished for him, "Limitless energy…. Good work doctor."

Langstrom nodded, "Thank you sir."

"Unfortunately, I'm going to be taking the project off your hands."

Langstrom looked at him in surprise, "O-okay sir… may I ask why?"

Lex shrugged as he walked to the freezer to retrieve the sample e, "You may. I'm handing it over to a business partner of mine. He thinks he might have better luck with it. Don't worry doctor, you'll still receive your antidote regularly."

The doctor sighed with relief and sat down in his chair. However, his calmness was soon swept away when a tall figure walked out of the shadows next to him, causing him to fall out of his chair in fear.

Lex simply turned to the newcomer with the sample in hand, "Ra's. glad you could make it."

The Demon himself nodded before looking at the container, "Is that it?"

Lex nodded and pulled out a test tube, filled with a golden liquid. It is." As he handed it over he continued, "You said you thought it might be related to one of your society's new projects. Which one?"

The leader of the League of Shadows held the vial up to his face, examining the Ichor as he answered, "As of now, it's codenamed: Baskerville."

 **Chapter 5!**

 **I will now move on to my other fics for a bit, before coming back to this. So don't be surprised if I don't update this for a while.**

 **Please keep the reviews coming, I love to hear your thoughts.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Scars will heal. Eventually.**

Percy POV

My heart beat painfully as the images flashed by once more: Falling with Annabeth, holding her broken body, trudging through hell without her, and all the horror that came after.

I desperately tried to make it stop, but to no avail. The torture, the deaths, the battles and the loss, all of it came crashing down on me at once, bringing with it the unfamiliar sensation of drowning.

One by one, the faces of all those I had failed passed by me. Bianca looked at me before she climbed into Talos. "Percy…"

Zoe Nightshade looked away from the stars to see me, as she lay dying, "Percy…

Charles Beckendorf, looked at me before he detonated the explosion on the _Princess Andromeda_. "Percy!"

Michael Yew looked at me before I stabbed down on that bridge in Manhattan, "Percy!"

Selina glanced at me as she charged the Drakon, "Percy!"

Bob and Damasen looked at me as the doors to Tartarus closed with me in it, sentencing them to certain death, "Percy!"

Then, my heart broke all over again as my friends stood before me, on that dreaded battlefield. Leo smiled at me with that goofy grin of his as he walked in front, "Wake up dude!"

I blinked in confusion, "What?"

One by one all of them shouted, "Wake up! Wake up! Percy wake up! WAKE UP!"

I shot up in my bed, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. I quickly noticed Tyson looking down at me, his brow furrowed worriedly, "You're awake! …. are you okay brother?"

I caught my breath and forced myself to calm down. I was asleep. That explained it. I hadn't slept very much at all since I came to this new universe. It always led to nightmares. I took a deep breath and put on a smile, "I'm alright. What happened?"

He stepped back, revealing that we were in our room in Mount Justice, "You were knocked out by M'gann. You kind of lost it when you saw…"

Like that it all rushed back to me, and I clenched my fist in anger, "Annabeth…"

"It's not a trick brother," Tyson assured me, "It was just a coincidence. She swore that she wasn't lying."

I looked at him in surprise, "A coincidence?"

He nodded sadly, and let me take a moment for it to sink in. "Huh… I'd curse the fates, but I'm not sure if they even have influence on me anymore. Is everyone okay?"

He nodded happily, "Everyone is fine. In fact, they're waiting for you!"

I raised an eyebrow, "Mission?"

He grinned widely, "Even better: Beach trip!"

I stared at him, "Excuse me?"

He turned and rummaged through the drawers, before pulling at a blue pair of swim trunks. "The team decided it was time to have some fun for once, so they're all out at the beach waiting for you!"

I took the trunks carefully, "Uh huh…. So they're trying their best to get on my good side."

Tyson frowned, "What? No! they just thought it would be fun! Come on Percy you love the beach!"

I chuckled as I stood up from sitting on my bed, "Well I would be weird if I didn't. Okay then, I'll go. It will give me a chance to apologize for my freak out."

Tyson looked sadly, "You don't have to…. They know what happened."

I tensed up as I began to change into the trunks. "How much?"

"I didn't tell them much, but… M'gann saw it all when she had to knock you out. She's still pretty shaken up."

I winced, "Damn… Is she at the beach too?"

"Yeah… Artemis is to." He watched carefully for my reaction, nodding when I didn't freak out, "She was a little uncertain at first, but the others convinced her it would be a good opportunity to get to know your better side."

I snorted, "You mean the side that isn't try to kill her!"

"Exactly!" Tyson beamed. I sighed as I threw on the trunks and a t shirt. "Alright, well, let's go then. "

Tyson happily lead me through the cave, towards the outside exit. I noticed that he was also dressed in swimwear, a normal shirt over a pair of bright red trunks. However, as we entered the living room, we stopped at the sight of Batman, watching us carefully by the kitchen counter. "You're awake."

I could sense Tyson's tenseness at the man, so I stepped in front of him, "I am."

He kept his expression unreadable, "Are you better?"

I sighed, "Look, Batman, I know I haven't been making things easy for you as of late. I'm actually not sorry for a lot of it, but that freak out was— "

"Understandable." I froze as he interrupted me. "there's no need to apologize."

I stared at him in confusion, "Understandable? How could you… Did M'gann— "

"No." Batman stated firmly, "I highly doubt that she would reveal your secrets that easily. I convinced Martian Manhunter to … upload what he saw to my brain, so to speak."

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh."

He seemed to lose a bit of his stiffness as he said, "It was… difficult to process at first. But I got through it. It gave me a much better sense of your character. I was impressed."

I said nothing and just waited for him to speak again, he continued with, "I won't doubt you again, though I can't say the same for the others. I see now where you learned your philosophy of killing, though I still don't condone it."

I rolled my eyes, "I didn't expect you to."

He nodded, "With all that being said, I still should warn you that while you have faced many powerful beings before, Few of them compare to Superman."

I smirked and opened my mouth to speak, but Batman held a hand up, "I know. He isn't always the most intimidating, or even the most intelligent being around, but he has unmatched power. We are all lucky that he was raised with the orals he has now. If he wasn't… our would might not have stood a chance."

I nodded thoughtfully, "So don't make fun of him is what you're saying?"

Batman sighed, "Don't push your luck is what I'm saying. You may be a—no. Superman is practically a god himself, unlike anything you've ever seen. Just… don't take him lightly."

I sighed, "Fine. I'll take him seriously, but I have to crack a joke now and then! If I don't I wouldn't be me anymore."

Then, to my surprise, a small smirk appeared on Batman's face. "I know. Also, I should explain the "consequence" I mentioned yesterday."

I deadpanned, "Really?"

He shrugged, "Just because you earned my respect, doesn't mean you earned exemption from all consequences. Relax, it was never supposed to be too harsh. You just have to accept Artemis onto your team, and make an appearance on a certain talk show to explain about you and your brother."

I raised an eyebrow, "A talk show? Really?"

He sighed, "Yes. Unfortunately, it is one of the best ways to spread the word to as many people as possible. You'll go in the suit of course, and you will be accompanied by one of the other leaguers. Anyone but me really."

I found myself picturing Batman and I on Conan together, and couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "Yeah that doesn't seem like your thing.

He nodded, "Enjoy your beach day until then. You've earned it." He nodded to Tyson before turning and headed towards the teleporter room, leaving Tyson and I to watch him go.

Tyson spoke up behind me, "I remember the fight with Typhon vividly, yet he still scares me more."

I laughed loudly at that, causing my brother to look at me incredulously, "I'm serious! I think he might be a son of Nyx or something."

I imagined the primordial goddess for a moment, raising the brooding bat, "You might just be onto something there pal. Now come on."

Tyson seemed to instantly forget Batman as we continued towards the exit. As we walked however, I thought about the conversation carefully. In the end, I came to the conclusion that, while Batman's respect for me grew, so do did mine for him. He did look at me with pity, fear, or disbelief, all of which I had experienced from Martian Manhunter after he looked into my mind. I was starting to understand why Batman was so respected among the people of this world.

It was also something I was dreading from M'gann as we made our way down the mountain towards the ocean, She was one of the nicest, most well-meaning girls I've ever met, but she wasn't perfect. I suspected things would be awkward between us for a while.

We soon emerge from the tree line at the base of the mountain and spotted the rest of the team already on the beach, Like Tyson and I, they were all wearing bathing suits as well.

Robin and Superboy had similar black trunks, with a dash of white on SB's and a dash of red on Robin's. They were both shirtless, showing off their well-defined muscles, as they faced off against Wally and Kaldur in volleyball. I rolled my eyes when I saw robin still wearing sunglasses

Kaldur and dark blue trunks on and a Wally had orange. With both their shirts off as well, I was surprised to find that Kaldur's tattoos continued all the way to his back and chest, and that Wally actually had some muscle.

Watching them under an umbrella were M'gann and Artemis, who had taken off the green costume in exchange for a green bikini, I guess she knew what worked for her. M'gann on the other hand had on a yellow bikini, which went surprisingly well with her green skin.

I went to walk forward but stopped when I noticed Tyson wasn't moving, "What's up?"

He looked away, a slight blush on his face, "It's nothing, sorry I'm coming."

I shrugged and led the way to the group. When they saw us coming the guys stopped their game and looked at me M'gann and Artemis sat up and turned to me as I walked up to their right. I looked at all of them before saying, "How's everyone's day."

They looked at me motionlessly for a moment, before they released a chorus of "Not bads" and "pretty goods" while M'gann and Artemis remained silent. M'gann seemed to be avoiding eye contact with me while stealing glances at the same time, and Artemis was just staring at me with an eyebrow raised.

I sighed, "Yeah, let's just address the elephant on the beach: I lost it again yesterday."

Artemis' eyes widened, "You mean that's happened before?"

I nodded, "Once."

"It was way worse that time." Wally commented, "I think he's getting better."

"I'll be better when it doesn't happen anymore." I stated firmly. Before looking down at Artemis, "I want to start by apologizing to you for the misunderstanding."

She stood up in front of me and crossed her arms, showing off her athletic body, while also radiating a stubborn attitude that reminded me painfully of my Wise girl. It helped that a close up look at her uncovered face showed small differences between her and Annabeth, but I still found myself screaming internally that it was not her as she asked, "So are you really a god?"

I was a bit taken aback by the question, while also noticing the others tense up. Wally cringed and said, "He doesn't really like that word."

I smiled, "It's alright Wally. It's a fair question… I'm not really sure what I am at this point. Most gods of my world are so much more powerful than I am, but the one thing that is exclusive only them," I brought my thumb up to my mouth and bit down, before holding it up for her to see, "Is this: Ichor."

Artemis looked at my divine blood in wonder, "It's… gold… you have that running through your entire body?"

I shrugged feeling a little awkward as she stared curiously at my thumb, "As far as I know."

Artemis stared at it a moment more, before suddenly reaching out a hand and pinching my wrist, causing me to yelp in surprise, "Ow."

She rolled her eyes and looked back at my wrist, "Huh, look at that."

I looked down as the other guys came forward as well, to see the place where she pinched me, becoming discolored as my blood rushed to the area, only instead of turning red, like it would if I had red blood in my veins, it turned a slight gold color.

"That is interesting…" Kaldur commented.

"It makes sense though." Robin said, earning a hum of agreement from Wally.

Artemis then returned her attention to my thumb, where the drop of ichor still lay formed. After a moment, she stared reaching toward it with her index finger, to which I recoiled away from.

"What?" She asked, "I wasn't going to do anything weird, I was just curious if it was warm like blood."

I looked at her uncertainly, but before I could speak, Tyson beat me to it, "The blood of a god is a powerful thing. There hasn't been a lot of interaction between Ichor and the mortals. It could cause a lot of trouble."

Artemis shrugged, "Okay well you just said that you're nowhere near as powerful as the other gods, so it can't be that bad."

I stared at her quizzically for a few moments, but relented when she continued to stare back, "Fine."

I felt everyone tense up as the archer pressed her own finger against my thumb, mushing the ichor between them.

She blinked, "Well that was— Agh!"

We both recoiled as she yelped in pain. I soon recovered from my shock, and grabbed her hand to look at her finger as the others crowed around as well. I was surprised to find there was nothing physically wrong with it. I looked at her to see her calming down quickly, "What happened?"

She took a moment to catch her breath, "I'm not sure… it felt like I was burning."

I looked at her with concern before sticking my thumb in my mouth and sucking away the liquid until no more came out. As I did so, I could practically hear the gears turning in Wally and Robin's minds. I sighed and said, "I'll give you a sample later."

Two's jaws dropped at that, "Seriously?" Wally asked."

"You'll just give us a sample of God blood?" Robin asked suspiciously.

I raised an eyebrow, "Would you rather me charge you for it, that might be a good idea…"

Robin didn't seem affected by this, apparently counting on Batman's "Assets", while Wally was a bit more concerned, "Whoa whoa whoa! Let's not get carried away! I'm just wondering why you would even trust us with it."

I shrugged, "You're the good guys, right? You're smart too, I assume. I figure it would be better for you to figure it out than some mad scientist or something like that, right?" I chuckled at that, though the others didn't seem as amused.

"Right…" Artemis drawled, "And you and him," She pointed at Tyson, "Are brothers?"

Tyson nodded proudly while I wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "That's right. Technically half-brothers. We're both sons of Poseidon, my mom was human. His mom was a…"

I then realized that I wasn't sure what his mom was, All I knew was she was some form of nature spirit. Luckily Tyson spoke up, "She was a cherry tree in Central park!"

That elicited some confusion, so I clarified, "A tree _nymph_ , is what he means. In our world each tree, bush, and body of water in nature has a spirit connected to it. The union between dad in them usual results in Cyclopes like Tyson."

"Interesting." Kaldur commented, "I wonder if such beings exist in our world."

"They don't." Tyson said sadly, "I've tried making contact with them, but never get a response. The trees here seem… soulless."

That put a somber mood over the group. Robin broke it by asking, "What was your mother like Tyson? If you don't mind me asking."

Tyson smiled, "It's alright. I have a few memories of her when I was a child. But before I was 3 she was bulldozed by the humans to make a hiking trail…"

Robin's jaw dropped along with everyone else's as his plan to lighten the mood went completely sideways, "Oh god…"

"I'm so sorry…" M'gann spoke quietly as she processed his words. Even I had to take a moment. I never heard anything about Tyson's mother, I assumed he never met her.

Tyson however was the only one not depressed, "It's alright guys! It put me on the path to meet Percy!"

That didn't seem to cheer anyone up. To my surprise it was Superboy who said, "Well this is getting depressing. Tyson, you want to go for a swim?"

Tyson perked up, "Yeah! I've been meaning to explore the reef around here!"

The two powerhouses walked towards the water together. That left Robin and Wally to shrug and continue their volleyball match one on one. Artemis and M'gann returned to their towels under the umbrella, and Kaldur stood next to me, watching Tyson and Superboy dive into the waves, shooting through the water with their powerful bodies.

"Are you really alright?" He asked me.

I considered my answer for a moment before responding, "I'm sure you know the answer to that." I glanced over at M'gann, who was hugging her knees to her chest, watching the ocean roll in and out.

Kaldur sighed, "She did tell us a bit of what she saw. But only out of concern for you. She— "

"I know." I stopped him, "I don't blame her."

Kaldur was silent for a moment before asking, "You should also know that you do not have to carry those burdens alone. If you ever need someone to confide in, you can always turn to me."

I looked over at him with a smile, "I know man. And I appreciate it. Just… don't expect me to open up all at once. You've seen what happens when I let my emotions loose."

Kaldur's eyes widened, before he looked down and nodded, "Of course."

I patted him on the back and walked away, intent on tying up the final loose end. I sat down next to M'gann in the sand, while she seemed to curl up a bit tighter. On the far side of her, Artemis glanced at us with interest before getting up and walking towards Robin and Wally, possibly to play whoever wins.

I took a moment to watch her before I said, "I'm sorry."

She looked at me in shock, "For what?"

I looked away, back towards the ocean, "For what you had to see. I know it wasn't easy."

"You shouldn't apologize for that! I was the one who went inside your head!" She argued, "Even though you told me not to… I should have listened…"

I chuckled and looked at her, "I didn't give you much of a choice, did I?" She just stared at me, uncertain of what to say, before I continued, "What all did you see?"

She looked down, "All of it. At first it was too overwhelming to comprehend, I had to take a few hours to comprehend it all. That place…"

"Tartarus." I clarified, causing her to flinch, "Don't be afraid to speak the name. All my life, I've been told not to use names recklessly, that names have power. Personally, I think the power is the fear they've invoked. The only way to get over the fear is to face it head on."

She looked at me in awe, "How do you… deal with it all? All you know, experienced, lost…"

I smiled sadly at her, "I don't think I do. Up until now, all I've done is endure it. I do that by constantly reminding myself what I'm fighting for. When I first arrived here I looked for it in anything I saw, but if Tyson hadn't arrived here with me, I don't know if I would have lasted."

She looked out at the water, possibly searching for signs of Tyson and Superboy. They didn't seem to be coming up anytime soon, as Tyson could breathe underwater, and I assumed SB had some sort of super breath holding power. As I watched M'gann spoke again, "You really mean a lot to each other."

I nodded, "We're brothers, so it's only natural. Of course, my dad being a god, I have a few hundred other siblings out there, but he's the only one that I truly consider my brother, in every sense of the word. "

I looked back to her, "I know I can endure it all for him. What about you?"

She sighed, "Martian minds are…. Well not necessarily "stronger" then humans, but more flexible. They can be bent and strained far more than most creatures before they break. That being said… I couldn't help but erase a great number of the images from... Tartarus. They carry a greater power than most things, the ability to haunt you."

I nodded in agreement, "That they do."

"I could do the same for you."

I looked at her in surprise. "What?"

She avoided eye contact, "It won't be easy, it's a very advanced technique, but I could remove the most painful memories from your mind for you. It could make it easier."

I was stunned for a moment, I would be lying if the idea wasn't a godsend to me, so to speak. But then I saw her hand shaking. And I came to a realization.

"No."

She looked at me in shock, "What? Why?"

I smirked at her, "You had such a reaction from being in my head for just a moment, and now you're saying that you want to go in again, for a process that will likely take even longer?"

She stared at me uncertainly, "I— "

"You only mean well." I assured her, "And I am incredibly grateful for the offer but I'm not going to risk your sanity for a chance to regain my own."

She frowned at that, but I noticed her hand no longer shaking as she was relieved. "Even so… I can't just stand by while you have all of… that… in your head."

I smirked, "M'gann, this is why I'm seeing a therapist. Your route would definitely be easier if it worked, but don't feel like nothing will happen if you don't do anything. It will just be a bit slower."

She nodded thoughtfully, "Alright..."

I stood up suddenly, satisfied, and held a hand down to the Martian, "Come on, you can't sit under this umbrella all day. Let's have some fun!"

She took my hand tentatively, then yelped as I pulled her to her feet and led her towards where Kaldur and Robin were teaming up against Wally and Artemis.

I walked up just as Artemis delivered a devastating spike, that neither Robin or Kaldur were able to get to in time, before falling back to the ground and doing a little victory dance. "Oh yeah, you can't _touch_ this!"

Robin growled under his breath, While Kaldur chuckled good naturedly, "You are quite good at this."

"What's the score?" I asked while M'gann stood next to me.

"6-2" Wally boasted. "In our favor. I guess We're just unstoppable together, huh gorgeous?" He winked at Artemis.

The archer rolled her eyes, while I couldn't help but imagine what her namesake would have done in that situation. Instead of transfiguration, she simply replied, "Please, you haven't made a single shot, you just catch the ones coming our way and pass them to me."

Wally didn't miss a beat, "That's cause I trust you so much already!"

I chuckled at the two before asking, "Mind if we join?"

"Not at all." Kaldur smiled.

"Dibs on Miss M!" Wally shouted.

Robin scoffed, "Really? You're already winning man!"

I raised an eyebrow, "Wow, so I'm just chopped liver then?"

Robin shrugged, "Sorry dude, but you have to admit she's a bit overpowered."

M'gann looked down with a blush, "I'm sorry…"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh grow up. M'gann get over there, and get ready to lose."

She seemed a bit confused but nodded and joined Artemis and Wally.

I went to stand by Robin and Kaldur as M'gann was chosen to serve first. Robin didn't seem happy, "Martians have telekinesis dude! Even if we do intercept it, she could force it out of our hands and to the ground!"

I chuckled as M'gann readied her serve. "I doubt she'd do that. She's way too nice. Besides, even if she did, she wouldn't be able to stop me."

Before they could ask what I meant by that, M'gann hit the ball into the air, a little too hard. She blushed a little as it went flying into the sky, almost out of sight. "Sorry!"

"Oh geeze, get ready Perce! It's coming for you!" Robin called out. I just smirked and crossed my arms as I watched it fall. "What are you doing?"

I remained still as it continued to fall. Kaldur started to shift his feet, "Percy, perhaps you are being a bit overconfident?"

I shook my head, "Nope."

"Really?" Artemis asked in amusement, "What makes you so sure.

The ball was now closing in fast, so I simply said, "Because everyone knows, you don't fight the son of Poseidon on a beach."

Before any more questions could be asked, the ball level with my face. Still I didn't move as it shot past me. However, it didn't hit the ground, instead stopping a few feet above it as it was held up by a plume of water, that had erupted from the sand below.

As the water lifted the ball up to me, Wally scoffed, "Oh come on that is so cheating!"

I smirked, "No more than what you two were doing."

Artemis, having finally snapped out of her awe at the water control, protested, "Hey I'll admit that Wally was using his speed, but id don't have any powers, I literally can't cheat."

"I didn't say you had powers, but you were using your natural born gift of seeing and calculating the best trajectory."

That had most of the group confused, except for Artemis, who was looking at me cautiously, "How did you know about that…"

I shrugged, "To be honest it was just a guess. I figured since you were good enough at archery to take on guys with guns that way, you might have something going on. Also, I knew some children of Apollo who were the same way. They could hit a bullseye 150 yards away, and absolutely destroy everyone at basketball and volleyball."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "So you're comparing me to a demigoddess?"

I shrugged, "The blonde hair, athletic build, all qualities of Apollo kids. I don't suppose you can sing?"

She smiled knowingly, "That's for me to know and you to never know. Speaking of athletic builds, are you ever going to take that shirt off? It'd be a shame to spend all day covered up, plus you'd get more mobility for the game. Or do you plan to keep using the water for everything?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Not even a full day of knowing each other and you're already trying to get my clothes off?"

She didn't even bat an eyelash, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't wondering what the boy of a god looks like."

There was an awkward silence at that. I noticed Kaldur, Robin, and M'gann looking very uncomfortable, while Wally looked the same, with a dash of irritation. Artemis however was completely cool, as she waited for my response with a sly smirk. Finally, I chuckled and said, "You really chose the wrong name."

She didn't seem to expect that, "Huh?"

"Artemis." I clarified, "The archery thing is accurate, but she' also the goddess of maiden, having sworn off the company of men."

Artemis shrugged, "Yeah well I still like it. Anyways, you're avoiding the subject. What are you self-conscious or something?"

The look on my face seemed to give her an answer, "Oh… sorry I didn't mean to— "

"It's fine, I just have a couple of nasty scars. I didn't want to freak anyone out."

That caused a lot of my teammates to look at each other knowingly. Kaldur spoke first, "You don't have to worry about that with us. We've all had our fair share of battle wounds."

Robin nodded and started pointing out the various nicks and marks littering his body, "Yeah, I'm like a patchwork of knife marks man. I know I won't be winning any beauty contests.

Wally hummed in agreement and twisted around to reveal a nasty red mark on his back , "I have accelerated healing, but not as good as the Flash. Burns always take the longest to fade, I got this one rescuing people from a house fire the other day.

Kaldur then held up his arm to revel a deep scar on his bicep, "A stray shot from Black Mantas soldiers, back when I was still an Atlantean soldier. It went straight through, but it taught me the value of patience in a fight."

The guys then looked at the girls, only for Artemis to shrug, "Sorry, unlike you guys I'm careful. And I'm guessing scars isn't even a thing for Martians." M'gann nodded shyly behind her. "But don't let that stop you. I know for a fact that many girls think scars are super-hot." She made sure to emphasize the T.

I chuckled dryly, "You say that now…. Alright if you insist."

I casually pulled my t-shirt up over my body, revealing my sculpted abs and pectorals, all perfectly toned but not too bulky. However, the image was ruined by what rested on the skin,

My torso was covered in dozens of jagged scars, most of them laid over where my organs would be, while others were less purposeful. A line of cuts ran up each of my sides, culminating in two ugly white scars ringing around where my arms connect to my shoulders. My back was no better, covered in rows upon rows of small cuts, one for each day I spent in Tartarus, according to its time distortion of course, surrounding the largest scar that ran down from the base of my neck to the small of my back.

I stared at Artemis, daring her to say something more. She, along with everyone else, was looking at my marks with horror. I heard Kaldur whisper under his breath, "Neptune's beard…"

I had to stifle a laugh at that, as I could tell the others would not understand the joke. The only one who didn't look like they might puke was M'gann, who only looked at me with sorrow.

After what felt like ages of no one talking, Robin finally asked, "How… no, why haven't they healed?"

I shrugged, "Good question. Especially because of this," I held a up my thumb for them to see, only to get looks of confusion, "I bit it earlier remember?"

That seemed to make them understand. Despite having bitten through my flesh a few minutes before, the wound was nowhere to be see. "I've noticed this happening a lot recently. Wounds healing in minutes, old battle scars I thought would never heal, disappeared overnight. But these… well I have an idea why these don't leave."

Wally gulped and shakily asked, "Why?"

I found my jaw tensing up, "They were given to me by a titan of destruction. It makes sense that he's good at making sure something stays destroyed. I've seen something similar with Prometheus. His wounds still hadn't healed, even after centuries of being off the rock."

Robin groaned and rubbed his head, "Okay, you can't just mention that you've met Prometheus right now, I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything else."

Maybe we can ask one of our magical allies to help." Kaldur suggested, "I know many powerful healers in Atlantis."

I sighed, "Maybe I should put the shirt back on. I have a feeling we're not going to have a lot of fun this way…"

As I bent down to pick it up however, Artemis finally found her voice, "Wait no! You're hot—I mean fine—I mean…." She sighed and hung her head, blushing deeply, "It's fine. We won't make a bigger deal of it. Right guys?" She glanced at the others meaningfully.

Wally was the first to nod quickly, "Of cour—yeah! I mean it's not that… bad…"

"What the dork is trying to say," Robin spoke up, "Is that we're your team. We won't judge you or make you feel like you have to hide it."

"Please," M'gann pleaded, "We just want you to feel comfortable."

I couldn't help but smile slightly at them, before I threw the shirt away, "Alright then. Let's get the game going then. Prepare to be beaten." I then hit the ball off the plume of water to get the game going again.

It was a pretty fun game in the end. Everyone decided to let loose with their powers, Wally zipping all over the field, M'gann using her shape changing and telekinesis freely. Robin started incorporating some gymnastics into his serves, completely forgoing any concept of the rules when he did a double flip to kick the ball over the net, not that we minded. I even helped Kaldur to cheat a bit by covering him in a layer of seawater, giving him a boost of energy while also allowing him to keep his strength from being on land.

In the end, my team won of course. No one could overpower me on the beach, not even when M'gann tried to wrestle the ball away from my water with her telekinesis. It was a bit easy, for me, but we had fun laughing at all the crazy and creative ideas they tried to score.

It ended with a score of 13-20. We might have played more, but that was when Tyson and Superboy emerged from the surf.

Tyson ran out first at full speed with excitement, "Brother! Brother guess what!"

He ran straight up to me, putting his hands on my shoulders, not even flinching at my scars, having seen them many times before, "Guess what we found!"

I raised an eyebrow, "By the sound of it, I'm guessing treasure?"

He was practically bouncing, "Even _better._ It's a sunken ship!"

That actually caught me by surprise, "Really? Where?"

He pointed out to sea, "About a mile out that away. Want to come see?"

I felt my self-grin excitedly, "Yeah!" then I had an idea. I turned to the others and asked, "Want to swim out together?"

Kaldur and M'gann seemed open to the idea, but I noticed a hint of worry from our more fragile members, Wally cleared his throat and asked, "What about sharks? Or you know anything else with teeth?"

I waved him off, "It'll be fine. No sea creature would dare mess with you with me around, unless this world has krakens…" I pretended to trail off in thought, while watching in amusement the others' expressions out of the corner of my eye. I decided to add a little fuel to the flame, "You guys aren't scared, are you? afraid you can't make the swim?"

Artemis huffed, "Please, I'll be fine."

"I've swam twice that just for training." Robin stated confidently.

Wally was the kicker however, "I bet I can make there before you do!"

I grinned widely at that, "Oh really? Are you proposing a race then?"

"That does sound enjoyable." Kaldur spoke up, "It would be interesting to see which of us is faster."

I didn't say anything, not wanting to seem like a jerk. Instead I clapped my hands and rubbed them excitedly, "Alright then, looks like we're having a race to… Where exactly is it Tyson?"

My brother looked out to sea for a moment with a slight frown, before he lit up and walked back towards the woods. As we watched silently, he grew to his giant form, and started uprooting a few trees. I noticed Artemis watching in awe.

After a moment, he returned with several trees strung together to for a very tall spear. He looked out into the sea, reared back, and gave it a good throw. It sailed through the air as we all watched, before arcing down and plowing into the water a good ways off shore. Only because it was so tall with the trees strung together, we could still see a bit of it sticking up, signaling where to go.

Wally leaned close to Robin, whispering, "He can do that but is still clumsy enough to fall off the bridge?"

Unfortunately, Tyson still had amazing hearing, and stiffened up, "You knew about that?"

I sighed sympathetically, "The helicopter you waved at was broadcasting for the news dude."

He looked back in shock, his face turning red, before turning around and slumping as he shrunk back down, "Now everyone's going to see how clumsy I am..."

I rubbed the back of my head, feeling as awkward as everyone else. I went to go comfort him, but to my surprise, M'gann got there first, patting him on the back, "It'll be alright. On the bright side, some people might think it was kind of funny, cute even."

Tyson looked up at her in disbelief, "Really?"

She smiled awkwardly, "Maybe?"

That seemed to cheer him up a bit, leaving us to get ready for the race. As I walked forward however, I noticed Superboy looking at my scars curiously. When we met eyes however, I didn't see pity, nor indifference, just…. Acceptance, as he shrugged and turned to line up with the others.

I couldn't help but smile softly as I got in line myself, before calling out, "Alright, first one there gets dibs on whatever they find. Robin, Artemis, sadly you will only to be racing each other, so you can compete for…"

"How about the loser has to wear the others outfit?" Artemis suggested with a smirk."

"What?" Robin started, "No! that's— "

"Perfect!" Wally and I said in unison, "We'll do that."

Artemis smiled and got in a ready positon, while Robin looked around in disbelief and a little fear, "I did not agree to that! I'm not okay with that!"

I chuckled, "As team leader I declare that he must do it."

"You can't do that! Can he do that?" Robin asked around."

"He is team leader." Superboy stated matter-of-factly, while keeping a straight face."

Robin looked at Kaldur in desperation, "Seriously?"

The Atlantean tried his best to look sympathetic, "I'm afraid it's out of my hands now friend."

The youngest member got in a ready position, "Fine, if that's how it's going to be, I'll just have to annihilate her."

The archer scoffed, "Bring it on shrimp "

I decided to ignore their further bickering and call out, "Ready! Set! Swim!"

Artemis and Robin shot out right away, swimming furiously next to each other, though I'm pretty sure Robin was working a lot harder. It didn't help that his limbs were significantly smaller than hers.

They were quickly blown away however, by Kaldur, who made full use of his Atlantean physiology to charge ahead. He was followed shortly by Superboy and Tyson, as well as M'gann, who was just managing to keep up with them with what looked like a mermaid tail, no doubt the product of her shapeshifting ability.

It took me a moment to realize that it was only Wally and I left standing on the beach. The speedster was casually stretching his arms as he watched the others go. I smirked, "That confident huh?"

He grinned, "I could say the same to you water boy! You may be a strong swimmer, but I never really agreed to swim this thing, did I?"

He then backed up, and blurred forward toward the water, managing to skim along the top on nothing but speed alone. I couldn't help but be impressed, slightly. Unfortunately for him, two could play at that game.

He realized this when he found me next to him. He was running furiously to stay above water, while I was sort of skimming along lazily, like I was at the skating rink, letting the water beneath me provide the majority of the speed.

I laughed loudly as he looked at me in shock, and even more when his distraction caused him to trip on an especially tall wave, that I may or may not have conjured.

I slowed to a stop so I was standing on the water above him, while he treaded water and looked up at me in awe. I bent down and said, "It's a swim race Wally. Deal with it."

I then allowed myself to drop into the water, feeling the rush of power once again, before shooting off towards the others at full speed, sending him twirling uncontrollably,

I decided to let Robin and Artemis be, diving farther below them so I didn't blow them off course,

I then caught up with Tyson, M'gann and Superboy, where Tyson was leading the pack, not that I was surprised. I slowed down enough to give a little wave, one that only Tyson returned, before going full speed once again, bending the currents to my will to propel me to insane speeds.

Finally, I came up on Kaldur, who was surprised when I suddenly appeared in front of him in a blur of bubbles. I chuckled and said, "Is that all you got?"

I smiled when instead of getting irritated like most people would, he agave a grin and went even faster. I kept pushing him to go faster and faster until he was going faster than anything else in the water, besides me of course.

Once I was sure he reached his limit, I swam in front of him once again and nodded, "Not bad I must say. I guess you were holding back on the Santa Prisca mission huh?"

He gritted his teeth as he struggled to maintain his speed, but answered, "Indeed, I had to save my energy. It seems you're still holding back."

I shrugged apologetically, "What can I say? Water agrees with me. I'll wait for you all at the wreck."

With that I let loose completely, slicing through the water at what could possibly be faster than the speed of sound. That or it was starting to thunder outside.

I reached the tree marker in a matter of moments. Once I got there, I climbed back on to the surface of the water, and took a seat on it. I decided to wait until the others arrived to take a good look at the ship.

Kaldur arrived first of course, his eyes widening at my position, but didn't say anything, Choosing instead to climb up the tree and wait with me on one of its branches, we kept a look out for the rest.

To my surprise, Wally arrived first. I didn't think he would make it for a while after I put him in the water, but he seemed to be channeling his speed into his strokes and kicking. However, he made only a few moments before Tyson, then Superboy, then Ms. Martian.

They all had varying reactions to my water walking, ranging from Tyson's indifference, to Wally's rant on how unfair it was.

It was around 10 minutes before we spotted Artemis and Robin. They were almost neck and neck, but somehow Robin had managed to gain the lead, and kept it all the way to the tree marker.

They panted heavily as they climbed up into the tree, "I win!" Robin proclaimed, "That means you have to wear _my_ clothes!"

Artemis shrugged, "Whatever."

Robin looked like he wanted to say more, but simply sighed and flopped onto his back. "Give me a minute to catch my breath before we go down."

"How deep is the wreckage anyway?" Artemis asked.

"A couple hundred meters," Superboy responded.

Wally sighed, "Well you guys have fun then."

"What do you mean?" Tyson asked, "Don't you want to come with us?"

"I don't think we can hold our breath that long." Artemis replied.

"Unless Robin is hiding a utility belt and rebreathers in that bathing suit somewhere," Wally commented, "I think we'll stay up here."

I chuckled and got to my feet, walking a few feet in front of the others. I heard Artemis whistle, "Okay now that is just showing off."

I turned towards them and smiled knowingly, "You haven't seen anything yet."

I then focused on the water below us, taking control of the water all the way down to the ocean floor, then I pulled.

Slowly, a ring began to form around the marker tree. It got wider and wider, revealing a deep tube of air in the middle of the ocean, with me standing on the edge of it.

Everyone looked down at my work in awe, "First he walks on water, now he parts the sea…" Robin murmured.

"Don't _ever_ let Christians see you doing that!" Wally insisted.

"Yeah," Artemis hummed, "They might think you're the second coming or something. Although you might be the closest thing they'll ever get…"

I waved them off, "Yeah yeah, whatever. I'm honestly not sure how long I can keep this up so let's head down." In actuality, I felt a lot less strain than I had expected, especially for something so big. The hurricane in happy harbor was a lot harder. I set it aside however, as I stepped off the edge.

Instead of falling down, a water platform shot out, catching me. I extended towards the tree, allowing for the other to jump or float down to join me. then I just willed it to lower, like an elevator.

As we went down, I watched the other reactions, as they marveled at the sight before them. Surrounding them were now towering walls of water, giving a snap shot of the ocean life. Several schools of fish swam around us, a few accidentally falling out of the water, only for me to pull them back in with a tendril.

As more and more begin to notice me however, they all crowded around the edges watching me curiously. I heard their thoughts like a waterfall in my mind, wondering who I was, what I was doing, and why they felt such an urge to serve me. It was giving me a headache.

"Is that… normal?" M'gann asked curiously.

"I've never seen such behavior," Kaldur replied. "Not even my king attracts such a following."

"Percy are you alright?!" Artemis asked, rushing to me, putting her hands on my shoulders as I clutched my head in pain. The water platform came to a stop as well

I nodded, gritting my teeth, "Yeah it's just… hold on a second." I looked up at the aquatic life around me and called out, "Quiet!"

Instantly the chatter died down in my brain, I breathed a sigh of relief while the others looked at me strangely, "No one was talking dude…" Robin said.

I shook my head, "I was talking to the fish, they were all talking at once." I then looked back at the creatures, "Sorry! It was just too loud for me. You should go about your business."

They all turned and swam away at that, doing one thing or another. With that taken care of I once again began lowering the water platform, While Kaldur looked at me in shock. "You mean you can communicate with them?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, horses and fish. Why? Can't Aquaman do that?"

He shook his head, "He can send signals to them to command them how he pleases, but full-fledged communication is not something he is capable of."

"Huh." I hummed. I might have said more, but that was when I caught sight of the ship.

I had been expecting something small, a large speedboat at most. Instead it appeared to be an eighteenth century Frigate type vessel. It was fairly large, second only to the Man-o-wars, but way faster than the behemoths. This one was a bit sleeker, and more elegant looking than most. Like most frigates, it had three masts for the sales, though the main mast was broken, laying across the edge of the ship and onto the sandy ocean floor. The sails mostly eroded away, with only a few strips handing from the masts left. There were several holes in the hull, likely from cannon fire, and the wood was faded, if it ever had paint, it was long gone.

As I lowered the platform all the way to floor, I found myself walking towards it in a daze. At the front of the ship, hung a figurehead that looked vaguely like a woman, but the features were so worn down by time that it looked like little more than a featureless female form. I quickly noted that she didn't have any chains on her.

"Dude…" Wally drawled, summing up what everyone was thinking.

"Okay that is pretty cool," Artemis admitted, "Any idea what type of ship it was?"

Without turning around, I answered, "It's a frigate, a warship, and a beautiful one at that."

"Guys!" Robin yelled, I looked to see him standing where the tip of the main mast rested, "Come check this out!"

We gathered around too look in awe at hid discovery. Having somehow survived for decades, was the Flag. A black piece of cloth with an image the side of a golden skull biting into a white coin. No one needed to say what it meant, but Wally said it anyway: "Pirates…"

"This must have been one of the Rhode Island pirates!" Robin exclaimed.

"How has no one found this before us?" M'gann asked aloud, "And how did you two find it in fifteen minutes?" She looked at a smiling Tyson and an ever stoic Superboy, who shrugged in unison.

Robin hummed "This area has had a history of bad storms and worse wildlife, so people don't usually come around here. It's part of why the League made this their base in the first place, besides the obvious. It's calmed down in the recent decade though."

"We should report this." Kaldur suggested, "It could have great historical value."

"Na." I said as I continued to walk the length of the ship, running my hand along the old wood.

Robin sighed, "What would we say anyway? We can't tell them how we found it."

"An anonymous tip?" Superboy suggested.

"We're not doing anything like that." I stated, "The deal was that the first one to arrive got to claim the first thing they saw."

I turned to smile at my confused teammates, until they understood. Robin was the first to protest, "You can't take the whole ship!"

"Why not? No one's using it,"

"Maybe Rob's right on this one dude…" Wally stated hesitantly, "It could have some historical value."

I gestured to the ship, "I don't see any name on the ship, it got broken off. Besides nothing they find will be overly useful to people today."

"Okay sure," Artemis conceded," But why would you even _want_ it?"

I shrugged, "I like old boats." It's true, it wasn't something I talked about much back in my old world, for fear of the teasing I would surely receive, but ever since my experience with the Queen Anne's Revenge, I had been secretly interested in old ships like it. Not enough to delve into the history surrounding, but enough to convince my mom to take me to a few restored vessels before the war.

I turned back to the ship. "Tell you what, you guys can divvy up everything we find inside."

At that, there was a chorus of "Fines" and "Deals" as I smiled victoriously at my prize.

I ended up regretting that slightly afterwards. The ship ended up having quite a bit of cargo, ranging from fine wines and jarred goods, to actually gold coins. They weren't spilling out of a chest, much to everyone's disappointment, but they were cool all the same, and all claimed greedily by Wally and Artemis, not that anyone minded.

Afterwards, I lifted the boat to the surface with the water, and brought it to shore. For lack of a better place to put it, we hid it on a more discreet shore, with Tyson claiming that he would be sure to carve out a place for it as an addition to the cave, so if it ever did become sea worthy, we could sail it right out. The others brought their loot back into the Cave, before we returned to the beach.

We walked back in high spirits, laughing and discussing all that we found. I'm sure Batman would have something to say about it later, but I would burn that bridge when it came to it. Right then I was focusing on the most fun I'd had since my days with the crew of the Argo II.

We hung out for a few more hours after that, playing games, swimming around, anything that we could think of really. It was getting late however, so we had to wrap up.

As we were winding down, we had made a bonfire, and had gathered around it, some relishing in the warmth after spending all day in the freezing water, while the more resilient ones simply enjoyed the feeling and looking into the flames.

I was doing just that when Artemis said "So… can I ask about her?"

I looked at her curious, also noticing everyone else tense up. "What? Who?"

Artemis rolled her eyes, "The girl who I supposedly look like."

"Artemis!" Wally hissed, "I don't think— "

"Sure." I interrupted, gaining surprised looks from everyone. "What?"

"It's just," Kaldur explained, "We didn't think you'd be ready to open up so soon…"

I shrugged, "I doubt just talking about her classifies as "opening up"."

I activated Tyson's shield and planted it into the sand in front of me for everyone to see. I pointed to the image of Annabeth fighting the Laistrygonians. "This is Annabeth, she was a daughter of Athena."

Some nodded with interest, while others became more confused. "Isn't Athena like… a maiden goddess…" Robin asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, but she also was born straight out of Zeus' head. Her children are similar, and come about when she "meets minds" with a mortal."

"Oh," Wally stated, "That's not confusing at all."

I chuckled lightly, "Don't worry I get it, or rather I don't get it either. But that's beside the point."

"What are those things she's fighting?" M'gann asked.

"And why is she fighting them with a dagger?" Artemis asked, "They look like three times her size."

"They're called Laistrygonians, basically cannibal Canadians. They attacked me while I was playing dodgeball at school."

Everyone stared at me, before Robin spoke up "Uh… how did they even get into the school. They look hard to miss…"

"The mist. They used it to assume human form and confuse the teachers. Look there's a lot of stuff that happens in my world, this will really go easier if you just don't question it.

They agreed and I continued. "And she always used a knife. I've seen her take down full grown hyperborean giants with nothing more."

I then went through how we met, a few of our adventures, (minus the more embarrassing ones), and how we got together.

"Wow…" Artemis said, while everyone's face said the same thing, "She sounded… way cooler than me."

I shrugged, "It's too soon to tell, but yeah probably."

Wally gasped, "Dude! Rude much?" while Artemis just laughed.

"You sounded like you were a really good couple." M'gann said.

I nodded, "We were, she was always so smart, which made up for how dumb I could be. She was… amazing."

There was a moment of peaceful silence then, filled only with the crackling of the fire, before it was interrupted by someone sniffing.

I looked over to see tears welling up in Tyson's eyes, "You okay man?"

He snapped to attention, quickly wiping his eyes, "I'm fine! Some of the sparks got in my eye…"

We stared at each other awkwardly as he remembered that he was fireproof. Then he stood up and announced, "I'm a bit tired, I think I'm going to go back to the cave. I had fun though!"

He then turned and marched stiffly off the beach. M'gann stood up while watching before looking at me, "Should we do something?"

I shook my head, "He'll be fine, he just needs space. If anyone loved Annabeth more than I did, it would be him. He looked at her like a big sister."

M'gann didn't seem happy about it, but stayed where she was while Tyson walked away.

After that, we soon put out the fire and went inside as well. Tyson aside, I thought the whole thing went pretty well. I knew he would feel better in no time anyway. I also might have found a potential new hobby. Overall, it was probably one of the best days I'd had in a long time.

 **Several days later**

"This is the worst day of all time." I grumbled.

"Oh relax!" Black Canary drawled as she put the typed something into her phone. "You're exaggerating."

I snorted as I looked at myself in the mirror, "Well obviously. But this is In the top thousand. Are you sure I don't look stupid?"

The vigilante, now dressed in a pantsuit, glanced at me with a bored expression for half a second before looking back at her phone, "You're fine."

"You barely looked!" I whisper-yelled.

She rolled her eyes, "Percy, do you not trust Tyson?"

I glared at her, "I trust him with my life, you know that this is different."

She shrugged, "Well, technically this will contribute to how the public views you for the foreseeable future, so it's a big part of your life."

I stifled a growl and looked back in the mirror. I usually wasn't so self-conscious, but that was before I started wearing skin tight.

I was currently decked out in the new armor, that utilized the enhanced Tiber metal. That name still irritates me.

It was similar to the old one, in the layout of the armor plating, with the addition of a bit more covering on my thighs and biceps. The metal, which had originally been a dark grey, had been spray painted bronze to suit my "theme" or whatever. That's where the differences began.

For starters, the mesh under suit was colored deep navy blue, instead of black. the fabric was as tight as ever, but it was slightly more comfortable than the original, and of course it came in with a built-in cup for any potential malfunctions in my downstairs region. '

Another difference was on the wrists. Protruding from my forearms were two large blades resembling small fins. They were supposed to work similar to how Robin and Batman use their own gauntlet blades, only they could also work as small shields if necessary. I was still convinced Robin added it into the design as a fish joke, but Tyson took it seriously. Of course, they looked epic, but it made me feel silly all the same.

That had nothing on the cape however. Although cape is a very strong word. It hung off my shoulders and down to my ankles, sort of like what Reyna would wear, only instead of Purple or Red, it was sea green. Also, it was cut into eight segments so each part could move individually, **(kind of like Azrael from Arkham games, but longer).**

Each strip ended in a point, and had a small bronze disk on the end of it, adding a little weight to avoid it getting in my way, as well as for other reasons. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I grew uncertain if it was the right way to go, and whispered, " _plokámi"_

As I did so, the segments all began to slither up my back until they disappeared on my shoulders, leaving only the tips sticking up with the bronze disks, creating a sort of shirt collar affect.

I looked at this form for a moment before whispering " _plokámi"_ again, letting it fall back down.

I growled to myself in frustration, before I heard the music go on. Black Canary walked over to me and started to push me towards the door, "It's time."

I started to sweat, "Maybe this is a bad idea— "

"Too late!" She shoved me towards the door, "You promised. Just don't embarrass yourself and be pleasant. Think you can handle that?"

Before I could respond, she had already pushed me out the door and onto the stage. I quickly caught my step to avoid embarrassing myself in front of the live audience.

I straightened up and walked towards the couch where the Flash was waiting for me. I gave a few waves as I made my way to the seat, where I turned to face the host: a tall, fairly scrawny man with fancy blonde hair named Konan.

 **Chapter 6!**

 **Yeah I'm too lazy to make up a new talk show host at the moment.**

 **We will see what happens next time with Konan, and possibly the Baskerville project as well. I dropped that name in the last chapter but I haven't seen anyone figure it out yet.**

 **The next update will come in four days at the soonest. I'm writing 2500 words a day as a minimum, but it might be a day or two later than that. I will write this for four to six chapters before moving on to other stories again.**


	7. Chapter 7

Third Person POV

M'gann was in her bedroom alone, watching reruns of _Hello Megan!_ While hugging her pillow, when she heard a desperate shout, "M'GANN!"

She jumped in place, before fumbling to pause the show. She then levitated off the bed and flew out the door. She headed straight towards the source of the noise, which happened to be the living room.

She arrived in an attack sense, looking around for the potential enemy, "What is it?!"

She only saw Superboy and Tyson sitting on the couch, with Tyson smiling at her, "It's about to start!"

She stared at them in confusion for a moment as her adrenaline went down, "What is?"

Superboy face palmed, "Sorry, the interview is about to start, and Tyson wanted you to watch it with us. I told him you had a TV in your room…"

M'gann finally found herself calm down, "Oh, well I mean sure, I'll watch with you guys."

Tyson threw his hands up, "Yes! Come sit next to me, it'll start soon!"

M'gann awkwardly sat down next to the Cyclops, who was leaning towards the TV intently. She looked behind his back at Superboy with a questioning look, but he only shrugged, saying that he didn't get why he was so excited.

She looked back at Tyson, "Are you really that interested in the interview? It seems like something that would bore you more than anything else…"

He looked at her with a shine in his eye, "I know! But Percy's debuting his new armor! He still thinks it's a bit silly, but I know everyone's going to love it!"

Superboy chuckled a bit, while M'gann smiled at him, "It's nice to see that you're confident in your work."

Tyson's cheeks turned pink at that, "W-well I wouldn't say that… half the design came from you and Robin…"

M'gann giggled at him, "True, but I doubt either one of us could have made it a reality as fast as you did. And I know your own personal touches on our ideas. Those bronze weights at the end of the cape are genius by the way "

He rubbed the back of his head at the praise, but that's when the show came back from commercial, "It's starting!"

The three grew quiet while they watched Konan and Flash looked at the camera, while the audience cheered in the background

Once the applause had died down, Konan spoke first, "Alright everyone welcomes back! Once again, I'm Konan, and with me today is everyone's favorite Scarlet Speedster: The Flash."

Flash chuckled, "You flatter me Konan."

"You know I can't help it! Ever since… you know what do we have the picture? Jeremy put the picture up there."

The screen changed to show a picture of The Flash and Konan standing in front of a burnt down house, both covered in soot and carrying two small bundles.

Flash shook his head with a big smile, "Konan you show that picture every time I come on!"

Konan shrugged unashamedly, "Maybe next time if you've magically not saved my daughters, I won't."

"How are they by the way?" Flash asked.

Konan leaned forward, "They just finished kindergarten, top of their class!

Flash clapped his hands at that. "Whaaaat? That's awesome! Are they still super into cheerios in Jell-O?"

"Cheerio in Jell-O?" Superboy asked in disgust, "Who could eat that?"

M'gann laughed nervously, "Ha yeah! I know right! So gross…" she glanced at Tyson nervously, but saw that he was too engrossed in the show to notice.

Konan beamed, "Of course, it's delicious and no one can tell me otherwise. Anyways we're off track. Today we're here to talk to a new superhero! He looked at the audience as they went wild.

Konan gestured for them to calm down while grinning slyly, "That's right, that's right. As you all know, superhero interviews are few and far between. apparently going on live television isn't "safe" or whatever. Today marks a historical moment however, as it is the first interview that also doubles as a heroes first public appearance." He waited for the crowd to applaud again before continuing, "Now Flash, if it were any other hero I wouldn't even ask, but you've been a consistent guest on my show, and if I may say so, a good friend of mine."

Flash nodded, "Very true, what's the question?"

"This guy comes out of what seems like nowhere. Nobodies heard of him, yet the League is already treating him like one of the League."

M'gann frowned at that, knowing full well that that was not the case as Flash backed her up, "I understand why you feel that way K, but he's not a full-fledged member, yet. As of now he's more of a subordinate."

Tyson leaned back on the couch with his arms crossed at that, "Brother won't like that."

Superboy grunted in agreement.

Konan continued with Flash, "Alright fine, but what did he even do to earn that positon? I'm no expert on the position but you don't just become a superhero in the span of one day right?"

Flash nodded quickly," You're absolutely right! The thing with him is… complicated. For now, I'll say that while I personally haven't spent a lot of time with the guy, he has the support of Batman himself, and that guy doesn't trust anybody. Along with that my protégé has had a lot of encounters with hi. Kid Flash has told me a lot, and so far, it's been 85% good news." '

Konan raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And what about the other 15?"

Flash chuckled, "Well you know how teens are. They get angry over the smallest things."

Konan chuckled "Well there goes the surprise. That's right folks! Our new hero is still in his teens, and I think that's enough talking behind his back." The camera switched to a view of the whole stage instead of switching between the two close ups. Konan gestured to the side of the stage and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Earths newest hero: Perseus!"

The crowd applauded as Percy appeared from the right, a bit suddenly in M'gann's opinion. However she soon forgot about it as he felt Tyson's large hands grab her shoulders and shake her excitedly, "Percy's on TV!"

M'gann chuckled nervously as he let go, "Yeah, it's… pretty cool." In actuality, she didn't understand the significance of it, only that Tyson did, so she figured she'd play along.

Percy quickly got a hold of himself and walked confidently across the stage to the interview couch. He was fully dressed in his new armor, including the three-pronged domino mask, which was now dark blue to match his suit. He smiled and waved to the crowd and cameras a bit before taking a seat to the right of Flash as the applause died down.

When it was quiet Konan started, "Now Perseus, let's start with— "

"Just a moment Konan?" Percy interrupted. The host looked a little confused but gestured for him to speak. Percy turned towards Flash and asked, "Subordinate huh?"

The crowd laughed and ohed at that while Flash chuckled nervously, "Well you know we try to avoid the word "sidekick". It's not meant to be offensive man."

Percy smirked, "Oh no offense taken, I just wanted to mess with you for a bit."

Flash blinked in surprise while Konan and the crowd laughed loudly again, "Wow, would you look at that!" Konan exclaimed, "Not two seconds in and already making jokes! I like that! Now, may I ask my first question?"

Percy nodded quickly, "Yeah of course."

Konan nodded, "What kind of name is Perseus?"

Percy smirked, "He was one of the greatest Greek heroes. I chose him because out of all of Greek mythology, he was one of the few heroes with a happy ending."

Konan was listening intently and hummed when he was finished, 'Alright then, well I'm sure everyone's wondering, where the heck did you come from, where did you get your powers, what's your motivation for being a superhero, you know the basics."

"Sure." Percy nodded.

Konan continued, "Now I'm just going to take a wild guess here, but I'm thinking you're some sort of water based superhero."

Percy chuckled as he adjusted his bronze fins, "That's a good guess."

"Am I right to assume you're Atlantean?"

"Actually no." Percy replied, earning raised eyebrows from the host, "I'm a bit different."

"This is where the complicated part comes in." Flash added.

Konan nodded thoughtfully, "Alright then, what are you instead? If you don't mind me asking."

Percy closed his eyes for a moment before answering, "Greek demigod."

Konan looked at the camera with an incredulous look as the crowd went wild again. M'gann however was confused. "Why is he lying?"

Tyson answered, "Brother hates worship. He takes every step he can to avoid it."

Superboy hummed with interest, while M'gann looked at the screen with concern. She wasn't sure if lying was the best way to go about this, but judging from Flash's lack of reaction to this, the League was okay with it.

Konan finally spoke again, "You know I probably should have guessed that by the name," Percy chuckled, "So you're a son of Zeus? Like Wonder Woman?"

Percy shivered, "Oh gods no. Poseidon. And further than that, I was born from the gods of a different dimension."

Konan deadpanned, "Wow… that is complicated. Am I still handsome in your world?"

Percy shrugged, "I'm not certain if you even exist to be honest. My world is way different than this one. for one there's no crazy superhero's or villains. Just regular people."

"And gods." Konan added.

"Right, though mortals don't know it. Anything that happens with the gods is covered up by this magical energy called The Mist, so that it looks like something they can explain."

"I see, makes total sense." He turned to the camera and shook his head, earning another round of laughs.

Percy chuckled as well, "Don't worry I don't really get it either, but it works. I didn't even know I was a demigod until I was twelve."

"Really? How did that go?"

Percy shrugged, "I got over it pretty quick, I had a lot of more important stuff to deal with."

Konan raised an eyebrow, "Really? Such as?"

"Oh you know… world ending consequences, the devil stole my mom… just a lot of stuff."

Konan stared at him, "Right… and you said you were twelve?"

"Yeah I had a late start."

Konan deadpanned, then looked at the camera meaningfully. "Yeah… so how did you come to our universe?"

Percy shrugged, "Not sure. There was a bright light and suddenly I was here. It's been pretty nice so far, aside from all the criminals. They're pretty annoying."

Konan laughed, "Indeed. So, being a son of Poseidon must come with some pretty cool powers, right? I mean We all know Wonder Woman has lot of them."

Percy nodded, "Yeah well… I have few tricks. For example." He waved his hand, and a glass of water on Konan's desk was emptied of its contents. The water floated around aimlessly in front of Konan before going back in the glass, while everyone ooed and awed.

"Interesting, very interesting. Well this has been great so far, but now it's time for the serious questions."

Percy nodded slowly, while Flash frowned a bit, but kept quiet. That's when the screen changed to show the footage of Tyson fixing the bridge in metropolis. "Know anything about this?"

Percy smiled thinly, "Yes actually. That's my brother."

That got quite the reaction from the audience, as the camera went back to Konan, whose jaw had dropped, "Wow… you know I only asked cause the reports of you and this thing started around the same time but—"

"He." Percy corrected firmly, "Not it."

Konan nodded slowly, "Right… sorry it's just… he's a Cyclops, right? I don't remember a lot of good stories about them in Greek mythology."

Percy shrugged, "Yeah they get a bad rep. I mostly blame Polyphemus."

"Alright… how exactly are you siblings?"

"Same dad, different moms. Poseidon has a history of fathering Cyclopes, it's not that surprising."

Konan nodded thoughtfully, "So you could say you're both demigods?"

Percy didn't answer right away. M'gann glanced at Tyson to see him not smiling, but not frowning either. he just stared at the screen as Percy answered, "In a way yeah. only difference between us is that his mom was a nature spirit and mine was a mortal."

"And the eye." Konan added.

Percy narrowed his eyes, "Look, if you have some sort of problem with him—"

"Oh no far from it!" Konan exclaimed, surprising Percy and the three watching, "I mean come on people! Look at what he's doing in this footage! How many heroes do you know that save the people and then stick around to fix the collateral damage?"

M'gann nudged Tyson with a smile, while he blushed and hid between his shoulders.

Percy smiled at that, "That was actually his idea too. To be fair though, not all superheroes have the skill level to do what he can."

Konan nodded, "But you have to admit that they could learn. I mean Flash, you know that I love you man, but you could probably fix that bridge by yourself in like five seconds."

Flash chuckled nervously, "I mean probably… but you know— "

"There's always another crime to stop." Konan nodded, "I get it. But there are other ways of being a hero besides beating up bad guys. Don't get me wrong buddy I still think you're the best but the money spent on cleaning up after you guys gets larger every year. This guy is a nice change of pace am I right?" The crowd cheered to indicate that it was.

Once it died down however, Konan stopped smiling, "That being said. We do have some rather concerning footage that I can't not address. Let's watch."

Before Flash or Percy could say anything, the screen changed to what looked like someone's iPhone footage. It showed footage of Tyson in his giant form, insane with rage as he fended off the justice league.

M'gann and Superboy watched the video in disbelief, as the sweetest person either of them had met fought against the strongest people they knew, and looked to be winning. M'gann had never seen Tyson in such a state, but could guess why he was in it. She had erased a lot of what she had seen in Percy's head, both to respect his privacy, and to retain her sanity but she was pretty sure that this was when Percy and Tyson first came to this universe.

Tyson hung his head in shame while Superboy whistled, "Dude, remind me to never get you angry."

"I'm sorry." Tyson said, and by the sound of his voice, M'gann realized he was near tears, "I didn't mean to— "

M'gann, not sure what else to do, grabbed one of his hands and squeezed gently, "It's okay Tyson, we know it wasn't your fault."

He seemed to calm down at that, as the footage ended and the screen went back to Konan, Percy and Flash. Flash had a look that said, "oh shit" look, while Percy remained calm. Konan then asked, "What brought that on?"

"A misunderstanding." Percy replied. "Before we were somehow brought to the new universe, we were in the middle of a battle. It just took him a minute to calm down from it, and as powerful as he is, that caused a bit of trouble. As you can see. I know for a fact that he feels bad about it."

"Does he always go into such a rage while fighting?" Konan asked.

"K…" Flash warned.

Konan sighed, "Flash you know this is my job. What if he does this while fighting a villain? He might cause more damage."

"This was a different kind of battle." Percy stated, eerily calm.

Konan didn't take the hint, "Oh? What kind was it."

'

Percy kept a smile while he answered, "The kind where you see friends die in front of you."

There was an awkward silence then, before Konan stammered, "I-I didn't— "

"You didn't know." Percy stated, "I get it. However, I suggest that we move on."

Konan nodded quickly, "Yes right! Uh… Well I guess there's only one question left right now: What city will you set up shop?"

Percy blinked, "Huh?"

"Well most superheroes have a certain city they stick to, you know patrol there at night, or day whatever floats your boat. Flash as Central city, Superman has Metropolis, Batman has Gotham, and so on and so forth. What about you?"

Percy frowned, "I haven't really thought about it. Though I suppose I've had enough time to adjust."

Konan waved his arms, "Hey no one's forcing you to make a decision right now."

"No it's okay. I guess I'd have to say… Manhattan."

A few New Yorkers in the crowd let out a hoot, while Konan raised an eyebrow, "The big apple huh? Any particular reason or just like the hotdogs?"

Percy shrugged, "It's my hometown, well not this one, but as close as I'm gonna get."

Konan smiled, "Well there you have it! Well folks I think that's as much as we're going to get today. People of New York, it looks like you're getting your very own superhero! Tune in next time for an interview with Olive Queen, another one of my favorite guests. Good night everybody."

The show ended with the three waving to everybody, before it went to commercial

"Well," Superboy spoke, "That was— "

"Awesome!" Tyson exclaimed.

Superboy squinted, "That seems like a bit much."

"I think it went very well," M'gann commented, "It definitely could have one much worse."

"No way!" Tyson said proudly, "Percy wouldn't let it."

Superboy and M'gann just looked at each other while Tyson stood up off the couch and walked away. M'gann turned and called out, "Where are you going?"

He had already turned the corner, but poked his head around when she asked, smiling, "Wanna see?"

M'gann was entirely unsure if she did want to see, but she found herself following the Cyclops anyways. She froze however when he opened the door that led down to the forge.

He noticed her no longer following him and frowned at her, "Are you okay?"

She nodded nervously, "Yeah it's just— "

Tyson gasped, "Oh right! The magma! Give me a second!"

He then slammed the door in her face and ran down the stars. M'gann waited patiently and slightly confused until she heard his heavy footsteps run back up. He opened the door, slightly out of breath and said, "Come on! It's fine now!"

M'gann was skeptical, but took his word for it and followed him down the stairs. She got downstairs to find the familiar cave now shrouded in darkness, as the magma pit appeared to have disappeared.

Tyson walked through the room confident, while M'gann was a bit more cautious as she asked, "What happened to the magma?"

Tyson went to a certain section of the floor and found a handle. He lifted up to reveal the molten rock going strong under the trap door. Instinctively M'gann flinched away from it, but Tyson closed it a second later, allowing her to calm down, "Installed it a while ago so you could come down here."

M'gann raised her eyebrows, "Really? Why didn't you tell me?"

He had turned away towards the background, but paused at her question, "I guess… you didn't really have a reason to come down here until now."

M'gann felt the urge to say something about that, but kept her mouth shut as Tyson walked through another small tunnel in the back of the room, that she hadn't even noticed. She cautiously followed him, and saw that it went on for quite a while it was a long set of stairs heading down to who knows what. Tyson looked up at her, "Come on, it's this way!"

She as unsure at first, but then her eyes met with Tyson's big brown eye, filled with nothing more than good will.

She followed lose behind him. It was very dark, so she found herself resting a hand on Tyson's back to make sure she didn't fall or anything. In hindsight that was a silly thought, as she could fly, but she did it all the same.

They soon saw a light at the bottom. They exited the tunnel to reveal another enormous cavern, bigger than the forge, bigger than a football field. only this one was half filled with water, and had a large exit leading to the ocean.

M'gann stared at it in wonder, "How do you build these things so fast on your own?"

Tyson shrugged, with a slight blush, "I don't know… practice I guess."

"What is this for?" M'gann asked, though she had an idea.

"It's for Percy's ship!" He replied happily, "Although I made it big enough for about four other ships, just in case."

M'gann nodded as she looked around, "Yes well… I suppose it would be interesting if Percy ended up with a fleet or something."

She meant it as a joke, albeit a weak one, but Tyson simply nodded seriously, "Exactly! It's almost finished, I just have to fortify the entrance to make sure it doesn't collapse or anything while I bring the ship in."

"I see… do you need some help?" M'gann offered.

Tyson smiled down at her, "Nope."

M'gann frowned… "Oh…"

"I would like some though!" Tyson corrected happily. "But first let me show you my secret project!"

He then led her along the small strip of land lining the walls of the cave. As she followed M'gann asked, "Uh… why have a secret project?"

Tyson nodded back at her, "So people don't know about it."

M'gann deadpanned as he came upon a large boulder. He rolled it aside with ease, revealing a small cave with a table in it. on the table were several drawings and blueprints.

As M'gann walked into the room after him she asked, "In that case… why are you showing me?"

He looked up from over the table, "Well… it's mostly a surprise for Superboy… you won't tell him, will you?"

"Of course not!" She assured him. "I was just wondering… So, what's the big project?"

Tyson brightened and gestured her over to look at the drawings. "You know how Superboy can't fly?"

M'gann raised an eyebrow, "Yeah… I heard he was pretty disappointed when he found out."

Tyson nodded, "Exactly! That's why I'm designing…" he pulled a blueprint out from all the others, "This!"

M'gann looked at the blueprint curiously, and froze at what she saw.

Tyson continued talking as she stared at it, "I got the idea from seeing that hawk lady, and Robin's cape. I know it doesn't look plausible, it in my world I know for a fact that Percy used some, and they worked great! With a few adjustments…"

M'gann was barely listening as she stared at the drawing. The device appeared to be a pair of man powered wings. The wings looked to be attached to the wearers arms, but the design wasn't what had M'gann speechless. The model the wings were attached to was distinctly feminine, with a face M'gann remembered vividly from Percy's mind. Not only that, but the feathers attached to the device were colored a bright red. Not to mention that everything was drawn with artist level skills.

After a moment of staring, Tyson noticed she wasn't listening, "M'gann? Is everything alright?"

She nodded quickly, "Yeah! Yes! It's just… the feathers are red…"

Tyson nodded, "Mhmm, it's to match Superboy's symbol! Do you think he'll like it?"

In reality, M'gann didn't think the clone would go for it at all. She doubted his pride could take strapping on prosthetic feathers. But she didn't think that's what Tyson needed to hear right now, "I know he'll appreciate the gesture."

Tyson smiled widely, "Really! Great! I can't wait to start making prototypes. It would be easier if I had some of Daedalus' original blueprints but…"

M'gann stared at him as he went on. Right now, he was all smiles and laughter, but she's seen the moments when he's been near tears. She knows what he went through too. She was also starting to see an unfortunate family resemblance between him and Percy, in the sense of bottled up emotions.

She put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to stop his explanation and look at her, "I'm sure they'll work out great. Why don't we go work on that entrance for now?"

He seemed to think for a moment before nodding, "Alright!"

As he put the blueprints down and walked out the door, she could only watch him go, struggling not to let her tears fall. She sucked it up though and followed through the entrance.

As Tyson rolled the boulder closed one more, she stared at the blueprints littered across the table inside. She couldn't bring herself to speak up about what she saw, but she knew that one day, should would have to. For the moment however, she cleared her head of those thoughts, as the boulder rolled to a close.

Percy POV 

I groaned loudly as I stepped through the teleporter, "Di immortales that was weird. Seriously are we sure that guy didn't have some sort of hair-based superpower? No amount of gel could—Woah."

I stopped my rant as I saw the people standing in the teleporter room. It consisted of Batman, Green Arrow, and my teammates, excluding Tyson. I stepped forward cautiously, "What is it this time?"

"A mission." Green Arrow responded.

I deadpanned, "Really? I thought you were throwing me a surprise party."

"Is it your birthday?" Batman asked.

I shrugged, "Not for a couple weeks, that's what would make it a surprise. Anyways I got sass tracked. What's the mission?"

Green Arrow came forward, "My… friend said he had a mission for us. We're waiting for him to come deliver it."

I raised an eyebrow, as right on cue the voice sounded, "RECOGNIZED: SPEEDY."

Out of the teleporter strutted yet another archery based hero, with red hair and a bad attitude to match. Not to diss Wally but I've had a history of bad luck with gingers, Rachel included. He wore a similar type of body armor to Green Arrow, only it was mostly black with some red on the chest.

"The names not Speedy anymore." He stated angrily, "Call me Red Arrow."

As he said this he walked right past me like I wasn't even there. Green Arrow looked at him in shock, "Roy… you look— "

"Replaceable." 'Red Arrow' concluded as he scowled at Artemis.

"It's not like that." Green Arrow sighed, "You said you were going solo."

"So why waste time finding a sub? Does she even know how to use that bow?"

Artemis, having had enough, stepped forward and looked up at him defiantly, "Yes, she can."

He looked at her angrily, but before he could say anything, I decided to speak up, "Hold on a second! Let me get this straight: you left Green Arrow to become your own hero, which you did by basically copying him with a few changes I mean seriously? Red Arrow?"

Artemis snickered a bit, along with some other teammates, though they seemed to be trying harder not to, while Red Arrow turned to glare at me, "You have something to say newbie?"

I shrugged, "I was actually in the middle of saying it. Look don't get me wrong, I have mad respect for what you do, I mean I can't shoot a bow to save my life. But you can't just leave, then come back and complain that he found a new protégé. What are you a jealous ex-girlfriend?"

He got up real close to my face, like a classic fraternity jerk, only he had to look up as I was a few centimeters taller than he was, "I suggest you watch your mouth new blood. I've been doing this since I was 15."

I snorted, "And Robin's been doing it since he was nine. Don't make something a contest if you can't win it."

He sneered at me, "Why do you even care? She's just some bitch he found— "

He was interrupted as he was yanked into the air. It took him a minute to realize what did it. the segments of my cape each had water running through them in tubes. In addition to that, the material was partly made with M'gann's Martian designs, making it capable of stretching out up to fifty feet in length if wiled it too. It was originally one of Robin's jokes, suggesting I had something akin to octopus tentacles, but after we talked more and more about it, I began to like the idea.

That's why Red Arrow now found himself bound in four of the strands from my cape and held in the air above me. no matter how hard he struggled he couldn't free himself.

Of course, the others grew tense at this, but had thankfully decided to wait a moment before overreacting.

I willed the strands to pull him closer to me and said, "I don't know you, and you don't know me, but you also don't know her. granted neither do I, but I do know that she is member of _my_ team as of now, and I get a little overprotective of my teammates. So, watch. Your. Mouth."

He could only glare at me defiantly as I put him back on the ground and let him stand on his own two feet.

After that it was another awkward silence of him glaring at me, and me staring at him unmoved. Eventually Kaldur broke the silence, "You came to us for a reason…

The ginger huffed and walked over to the briefing screen. After a moment, it showed data and images of a blonde woman, "Yeah, a reason named Dr. Serling Roquette."

Robin stepped forward, "The nanorobotics genius at Royal university in Star City. Vanished two weeks ago."

"Abducted two weeks ago." Red corrected. "By the league of Shadows."

"Woah! You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?" Robin asked, as Wally fist bumped him and whispered, "Hardcore…"

"I already rescued her. Only one problem: the shadows had already coerced her into creating a weapon."

The screen showed tiny mechanical insect things, "It's called the FOG. These powerful nanobots can eat through anything. Stone, metal, flesh, bone, nothing can stop it. however, its true purpose isn't just destructions. They are designed to infiltrate high security locations and eat data from their monitors, storing it and returning it to whoever sent them."

Wally whistled "Something like that…"

Red Arrow nodded. "Blackmail, state secrets, even nuclear codes. It's potentially unlimited access to the world's most sensitive data, and in the hands of the shadows, it will be sued to bribe, blackmail, bully, and otherwise cause chaos for their cause."

"Yeesh," I said, "And what exactly is their cause?"

The others didn't seem affected by my ignorance, but Red Arrow looked at me like I was an idiot, "Are you an idiot?" See?

I shrugged, "Pretend that I am for the sake of it"

"They're a terrorist organization, claiming to work for the eradication of evil." Batman explained, "Only they work towards those means through the same violence and treachery that the people they claim to hate use, only on a larger, more deadly scale.

I nodded, "Bad guys, got it."

Red rolled his eyes. As Kaldur asked, "What do you need from us?"

"The Dr. Says she can create a virus that will disable the nanobots, permanently, but to do so she will have to go online. This will put a massive target on her, as the Shadows already have agents searching for her, trying to end her life Before she can complete the program."

"Alright, what can we do?" Robin asked.

Red sighed, "Rescuing her was hard enough, I don't have the resources or ability to keep her safe on my own. I need this team to guard her while she does so."

Green Arrow nodded thoughtfully, "I see. It was smart of you to bring this to us."

His former protégé just glared at him, "I don't need your validation."

He then walked back towards the teleporter. "Where are you going?" Batman asked calmly.

"Home." He answered, "My job here is done." As the teleportation tube started up he looked up and said, "And the name is Red Arrow, update."

When he finally teleported away, I sighed, "Wow, what a douche."

"He… wasn't always like that" Robin sighed.

"He was just tired of the way us "sidekicks" were treated like children." Wally stated, "I can relate."

"Please, that guy was a jerk, through and through," Artemis said, "and I'm not just saying that because he called me a bitch. Though you didn't have to get so defensive about it." I noticed the slight blush on her face as she said so.

"Oh, don't worry, that was more about putting an asshole in his place than defending you. No offense."

She shrugged, but she seemed a bit more slouched afterward. I decided to ignore it for now.

"So, where's the Doctor?" M'gann asked.

Batman pulled up a map of Philadelphia, "She's being kept in the computer lab of the local high school."

I raised an eyebrow, "So she's alone?"

"I'm sure Sp—Red Arrow made sure she was secure." Kaldur stated.

"What about Tyson?" I asked, "I'm assuming you don't want him on this one."

Batman nodded, "He's currently patrolling alone in Manhattan, since that is where you "claimed"."

I narrowed my eyes, "Is that a problem?"

Green Arrow shrugged, "It's just that you never mentioned any plans for that."

"I didn't have any plans for that." I stated calmly, "It was something I decided on the spot. Let me guess, you wanted me to check with you first?"

"We can't control where you live or who you protect." Batman stated. "We don't have a problem with your decision."

Arrow's eyes widened, "But— "

"We don't have a problem with his decision." Batman stated firmly, shutting the archer up.

He held up his hands in defeat, "Whatever, don't look at me when you know who complains."

He then whispered something to Artemis, which I couldn't hear, before giving her a hug and exiting via the teleporter.

With that done, we all looked back at Batman who turned off all the screens. "Time to get to work.

 **Later.**

I shivered as I walked through the halls of the high school, scanning for enemies. " _Gods I hate high schools."_

Over the psychic link, Wally responded, _"Oh_ please _tell me that the mighty Perseus wasn't bullied."_

" _I wish. I was more worried about trying to stay in school. How's the perimeter?"_

" _Good so far."_ Kaldur responded.

" _No sign of any enemies."_ Robin added.

" _What a surprise."_ Roquette chimed in, " _I haven't even started yet. And I likely never will with the constant sound of_ teenagers _in my brain!"_

I rolled my eyes. Ever since we'd gotten there our charge had been incredibly unpleasant, despite the fact that we were here to keep her alive. I hadn't met someone so ungrateful since Ethan Nakamura, and even he ended up pretty okay in the end.

Everyone came to the same conclusion to ignore her and continue their conversation. " _Did you have trouble with academics?"_ M'gann asked

" _You could say that. Being a demigod has its ups and downs. You have heightened battle reflexes, but they don't really turn off, resulting in what the doctors could only diagnose as serious ADHD. And also, my brain is "wired for ancient Greek" resulting in dyslexia for everything except the Greek alphabet. And of course, there's always the monsters trying to kill you."_

" _Yeesh."_ Wally commented, " _And I thought school was bad enough by itself. Has any of those problems changed since you… you know."_

I breathed a sigh of relief, as for a moment I thought that he was going to blab about my godliness. " _The hyperactivness is definitely still there, but I know how to deal with that. The ADHD… I hadn't really thought about it till now but it hasn't given me any problems. I've been on the internet for hours at a time without even a single headache." s_

" _Well at least that's good news!"_ Artemis said happily. As I was walking through the halls however, I heard a loud thump outside. I only realized it was Superboy when _Artemis said, "Mmmm, that boy…"_

" _He can hear you!"_ M'gann exclaimed, _"We can_ all _hear you!"_

" _Oh, I know."_

I let out a snort as Superboy remained silent. _"Seriously Artemis does_ not _suit you. You're way more of an Apollo. It's actually kind of scary… you don't like Haikus, do you?"_

"… _No."_

I sighed in relief, " _Thank the gods."_

" _Why do you still say that?"_ Superboy spoke up, surprising me, " _Didn't they treat you like shit?"_

" _Yeah but it's just an expression. Not everybody who says, 'oh my God' actually believes in the big G."_

Roquette's voice made my cringe and hold my head as she exclaimed, " _Would you stop talking about gods for five seconds? I've just started scripting, they could already be on the way!"_

I shrugged and kept up my patrol through the halls, however after exactly five seconds Artemis spoke again, " _Speaking of Apollo, was it true what you said before about being terrible at archery?"_

" _Ugh!"_ Roquette groaned, though we ignored her.

I strolled by the computer lab and peaked in to see Wally and Kaldur looking very uncomfortable around the very angry doctor, as she typed furiously on the computer. I couldn't help but snicker, but ducked away as she looked up angrily.

I began another round, " _It's sad but true. I can't shoot a bow to save my life. One time I managed to hit my teacher instead of the target._

" _Oh!"_ was the consecutive response from everyone listening.

I sighed, _"And he was standing behind me."_

" _Yikes."_ Artemis responded, _"And here I thought demigods were supposed to be better at everything."_

" _I don't know where you got that idea. Although I did make a shot once. There was this rancher guy, had three torsos."_

" _Three torsos?"_ M'gann asked. incredulously, " _Even for martians that's a bit much."_

" _I know, right? So, he had three torsos and three hearts to go with it. Every time I stabbed one chest it would heal instantly— "_

" _Uh, Perseus."_ Kaldur spoke up, " _Perhaps you shouldn't talk about such things where our charge can hear…."_

" _Oh please, I don't care. As long as you don't kill me."_ Roquette said nonchalantly.

I blinked, _"OOOkay. Well long story short I couldn't defeat him with my sword, cause you had to stab all three hearts at once. I ended up making the greatest, and only, shot in my life by shooting an arrow through all three torsos. Of course, it ended up being due to some godly assistance, but I still say it counts."_

I could practically hear Artemis snort through the psychic link, " _Sure thing pal."_

" _Not to be all judgmental,"_ Robin chimed in _"But what exactly was your reason for killing this guy?"_

I smirked, looking back at the memory with fondness, " _Oh he was trying to sell me and my friends into slavery. Plus, he was breeding and slaughtering dozens of nearly extinct species."_

"… _Okay Fair enough."_

" _Guys!"_ Artemis said, sounding urgent, " _Superboy's down!"_

I stopped in my tracks, " _What?!"_

" _He's alive but unconscious. I found a broken pellet near him, he must have inhaled some kind of toxin."_

" _Who has a toxin that can take down a Kryptonian?!"_ Wally asked in bewilderment.

I sighed and started jogging back towards the lab, " _I'm guessing the League of Shadows."_ I switched to the comms "Everyone outside converge on Roquette, Aqualad, Kid Flash, hang on, I'm heading your way."

I waited for a moment for their response, and began to run faster when they didn't. Things really went to shit quicker than I thought it could.

I arrived at the lab entrance to find Wally laid out on the floor, near the entrance, and Kaldur passed out further in, with a few shurikens in his chest. Roquette was being held aloft by a slender figure, with long black hair and a dark green outfit. She was holding a Sai blade ready to stab the terrified woman.

I gritted my teeth and shot out my cape strands, wrapping them around the weapon hand first before lifting the entire body off the ground and away from the doctor. I turned her around to see that her face was covered by a creepy smiling mask.

The assassin looked at me silently for a moment before saying, "Somebody's watched to much hentai."

I noted that her voice was sultry and sweet, alluring in a strange way. However, I paid it no mind and asked, "What's hentai."

She chuckled and moved something in her hand. Suddenly her hand exploded with black smoke. Remembering what M'gann said about Superboy, I quickly willed some water from my pack to cover my face, blocking anything from entering my system, whiles still allowing me to breath. Somehow the assassin had slipped out of my strands during the confusion, leaving me to look around cautiously, waiting for the next attack. However, a soon remembered that I was not her target/

I burst out of the smoke just in time to see her raising two short swords above her head, ready to strike down the now unconscious doctor. On instinct, I drew Riptide from my suit pocket and lunged forward, blocking her strike just in time.

She glanced up at me, "Well, you're an interesting one, aren't you?"

I ignored her and easily lifted her swords and her away from the doctor, before getting in front of her and activating my shield for defense.

She kept her distance and stare walking around me leisurely, "So, you're that new demigod I heard about from the news, aren't you?"

I smirked as I kept the stunned doctor behind my back and my face to the enemy, waiting for my friends to arrive. "Guilty. You must be the assassin sent by the Shadows."

"Guilty," She replied coyly. "So, what now?"

"Now you either surrender or retreat before my friends get here. You aren't getting to the doctor."

"What?" Roquette exclaimed, "You can't let her get away!"

We both ignored her as the assassin shrugged, "Well what if I just go through you?"

I snickered, "You're welcome to try, but I have 8 more limbs that you do, as well as my sword and shield, you don't really think you stand a chance, do you?"

She sighed sadly, "You have point… I don't suppose you'd even the odds a little? Sportsmanship and all that?"

I narrowed my eyes at her for a moment before shrugging, "Alright."

"Seriously?!" Roquette exclaimed. Again I ignored her as I put away my shield and sword and got in a fighting stance.

The assassin put a hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side, "Well, someone's over confident… and adorably NAÏVE." She finished the sentence while shooting her arms out to throw a barrage of shurikens and knives, straight at my face. I only smiled and held up my arm to block them with the bronze fin jutting out of my gauntlet, completely covering my face with it.

I lowered it just in time to see her five feet away from me, ready to swing both swords at my neck. Luckily, I was expecting it. I expertly deflected them with my right fin and followed it up with a right kick to her side, twisting my body to add extra oomph.

And oomph it did, sending the assassin flying into the left wall before falling to the ground, coughing and clutching her side. I relaxed my stance a gain and chuckled at her, "I prefer recklessly brave."

She looked up at me, and I could feel the glare through her mask. "Really? Martial arts? Isn't that a bit out of the sphere of the whole "Greek" theme?"

I shrugged, "I could go back to the sword if you like?"

She growled and charged at me again, this time wielding a pair of Sai instead of her swords. She got in close and began unleashing a barrage of stabs and slashes at all my vital spots. I dodged, weaved, blocked, and occasionally let my armor take the hits, trusting in Tyson's work to protect me.

Eventually I had enough and delivered a powerful kick to her chest, sending her sliding back, once again gasping for air. "Hey look! Spartan kick! That fits with the theme, right?"

Instead of returning with a witty remark of her own, she started laughing quietly. I raised an eyebrow, "That can't be good. "

She suddenly reached under a desk she fell near and pulled out Dr. Roquette. I cursed silently, having not realized that she had moved there.

The assassin raised her Sai, and I knew I wouldn't make it in time. Before she struck however, she said, "Looks like you really are naïve."

She drove the blade into the doctor's chest, eliciting a pained scream, before she fell limp on the ground.

The Assassin sheathed her blade before looking at me. "Well looks like I win."

I sighed, "Dang it."

She laughed again, "Really? I just killed the innocent woman you were guarding and that's all you can say? What kind of hero are you?"

"The kind that didn't lose."

She stared at me for a moment, so I smirked and said, "Notice anything missing?"

She looked around in confusion, before realizing what I meant. The unconscious bodies of Kaldur and Wally were nowhere to be seen, "Where did they— "

"They were never there." I explained with a bit of a shit eating grin, "It was an idea I got from an old friend of mine. She was great at casting illusions, so I figured, "Why shouldn't Miss Martian be able to do that."

The assassin tensed, "Martian? There isn't any… oh shit."

I nodded, "Oh shit is right."

The assassin sighed as she was lifted into the air by an unseen force. In front of her, the lifeless body of Dr. Roquette suddenly lifted into the air as well, morphing and turning green to reveal the smiling face of M'gann. "At first, I wasn't sure if I could do it, I hadn't even heard of such a technique before, but after some brainstorming it was easy enough to extend my mind to a small area so whoever enters it would see whatever I wanted them too."

Our opponent slumped in the air, "How? Was the doctor ever here at all?"

I nodded, "Of course, she was in the front office. I mean why wouldn't she be, everyone knows the computers are always better there. Of course, she's long gone now, the others took her and/ Superboy to the next location. Did you really think that it was taking them that long to get here?"

I didn't really expect her to respond, so I was a bit surprised when she said, "Well done. Honestly, I haven't had my ass handed to me so well in years. And what do you plan to do to me now?"

I gestured to M'gann, "She'll take you to the authorities, and that will be that."

The assassin cocked her head to the side, "Well that won't do at all."

Before either of us could react, she pressed something on her palm and a what appeared to be a ball of fire shot out of it, right into M'gann's face."

The Martian shrieked instinctively and lost her concentration on the assassin. As she fell to the ground she drew a couple pellets and threw it on the ground, shrouding the room in darkness.

I looked around anxiously, not expecting her to use a common magicians trick as a tactic, and felt a chill run down my spine as I heard a voice mere inches behind me, "We wouldn't get to play anymore."

I whirled around, but no one was there. I might have looked some more but I knew I wouldn't find her.

I sighed and ran over to M'gann where she was still trying to focus her eyes, "You alright?"

She nodded and groaned, "Did I mess it up?"

I helped her up, "You were fine, you followed my orders perfectly. I shouldn't have underestimated her. You good."

She nodded and blinked a few times, "I'm fine now, should we meet up with the others?"

I nodded as we started making our way out of the school. "Can I get a lift?"

She replied by lifting me up telekinetically and flying into the air towards the next location. I struggled to hold in my lunch as I soared through the air without Blackjack. M'gann only noticed this when I became as green as her. "Should I slow down?"

I struggled to man up and swallow it down so I could respond, "No! She might not have been the only one, we should…ugh… get there as soon as possible."

M'gann frowned but nodded and kept going. We eventually made it to the internet café where the others had the doctor set up. Usually It would be full of people this time of night, but we made sure to clear everyone out beforehand. It was so much easier to deal with mortals when they knew and respected you.

I entered to find Robin, Kaldur, Wally and Artemis surrounding Roquette as she worked on one of the computers. Superboy was still passed out, lying on the floor

M'gann went straight to him to check on him while I headed to the others, "Got an update for me?"

"Doctor Roquette has already completed 67% of the program." Kaldur responded.

"I could have been done sooner without the pressure of assassins hunting me!" our charge exclaimed, "So tell me, did you catch them?" she looked at me expectantly, along with everyone else in the room.

I sighed, "She escaped."

Roquette cursed while the others just slumped in disappointment "Could you describe the assailant?" Robin asked.

I nodded, "She seemed to be human, relying more on tools and skills than any abilities. She has a knack for sharp weapons and even sharper wit, and wore a creepy smiling cat mask."

Robin typed the details into his gauntlet before speaking, "Got her. Definitely one of the Shadows, codename: Cheshire. She's ruthless, efficient, and has never been captured."

"Oh great!" Roquette exclaimed, "So I have the female terminator on my ass!"

"Relax," I told her, annoyed by her complaining "She's likely not the only one."

"How is that supposed to make me relax?"

I was about to answer when Artemis spoke up, "So what now? The first plan worked but we still have a while before the program is finished."

I nodded, "They won't fall for the same trick twice…. For now, we'll cover all the entrances and exits, conventional or not. You guys fan out and do that while I stay by her side."

They all agreed and went to follow my orders, while I stood by the doctor with my sword and shield out. Of course, the sword wouldn't be useful for anything but defense, but It was added defense all the same.

After a few minutes of silence, filled only with the doctors typing, she spoke up,

"So, you're the leader of this little group?"

I glanced over at her, 'The group that you've been nothing but rude towards, despite the fact that we're only trying to save your life? Yeah I'm the leader. You should really focus on the program."

She huffed, 'Can you really blame me for being in a bad mood? People trying to kill me and all the Justice League could muster to help me was their sidekicks!"

"They're not sidekicks!" I snapped at her.

She looked at me in surprise, "Alright geeze, sorry."

I shook my head in exasperation, "I don't know where that even came from! Just because they're younger than their mentors? If anything, that should label them as even greater heroes!"

"Hey I didn't say anything..."

I sighed, "Whatever, just finish the program."

Another few minutes passed before she spoke a bit softer, "Look, maybe I have been a little obstinate towards you all."

I chuckled "You think?"

"I mean you all are risking your lives to save mine. I should be rewarding you, not complaining."

I raised an eyebrow at this as I kept a look out, "Uh, I wouldn't know if I would go that far, but—whoa!"

I jumped away after feeling something brush against my thighs a little too close to my waistline. I turned around and looked at the doctor in alarm, and saw that it was in fact her hand, "What are you doing?"

She had certain glint in her eye that gave me a bad feeling, "Sorry, I couldn't help it. You're just so… well…"

I backed away uncertainly, "Um… don't you think you should be more focused on the task at hand?"

She giggled, _giggled_. "Right, silly me. Although, if you do manage to keep me alive, I wouldn't mind going out for dinner, or maybe…"

"Lady I'm barely 17!" I blurted out, causing her to freeze.

It wasn't technically a lie. I didn't physically age since I entered Tartarus, I still had my body from before I fell, well most of it. I really just didn't know how else to handle the situation at the moment. Unfortunately, Roquette wasn't buying it, "What? No, you're like, 21 at the least."

I raised an eyebrow, did I really look that old? "No… I'm pretty sure how old I am."

She looked at me in disbelief for a few more moments before looking dropping her head in her hands, "Oh god… I'm a cougar!"

I wasn't really sure what a cougar was in that context, but It didn't sound good. I tentatively reached out a hand to pat her on the back, unsure of what else to do, when I was saved by someone outside yelling, "Yo! Tall, Greek and handsome!"

I sighed in relief, and walked to the front door, opening to meet any villain who was there. It was much more preferable. I noted M'gann floating just above the entrance, perfectly still and camouflaged. I then looked across the street to see what we were dealing with.

At the forefront was the same smiling assassin as before, staring at me intently. On either side of her was a man covered in purple spandex with a spider on his forehead, and a guy with a hook. Just… a hook.

I cracked a grin, "Okay so we got the lady whose ass I kicked, the Human Spider, and a low budget Captain hook. Do you really think that's going to be enough? We have the strength and numbers advantage."

"Strength isn't everything." She responded, "And I know for a fact that your Kryptonian friend is still knocked out. That toxin was made specifically for people like him."

Robin chimed in, _"I just got an alert that the nanobots have begun an attack on WayneTech! If that get that data… a lot of bad things could happen. Do_ not _Let them get to the_

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Fair enough, the odds still say that you will lose."

She chuckled sinisterly, "Maybe. But you've made a major error in this equation."

"And that would be?"

She spread her arms out, "We're not the main attack force. We're just dog walkers." She then pulled out some type of remote and pressed a button.

I looked around curiously, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did, "Is your thing broken?"

She simply waited, for a moment I thought they were having some sort of brain issue, before I heard Robin shout over the psychic link, _"Guys… somethings heAA— "_

" _Robin!"_ I called out. There was no answer. _"M'gann! Is he…"_

" _I don't know, I don't think so!"_ M'gann sounded as confused as me, " _He's no longer in my telepathic range…"_

I looked at the assassins in confusion. The woman hummed, "So you can tell? Interesting, must be the work of the Martian. I'm sure you're wondering what this is.

I kept my eye on her, " _Kaldur, Wally, Artemis, converge on the doctor, watch your backs!"_

"I didn't think I'd need it to be honest, but the top brass insisted I take it with me just In case."

The three made it to the doctor. I backed up, keeping my eyes on the assassins, but they just stood where they were. I backed into the café and headed towards them, signaling M'gann to follow. "Did anyone see it?"

"Where did Robin go?" Wally asked frantically, "Is he— "

"We think he's fine." I assured him. "Right M'ga— "

I turned around just in time to see the Martian girl getting tackled upwards by a very large, very dark shape, before disappearing into the dark ceiling above.

I had to blink a few times, wondering if what I saw was real. I got my answer from Artemis exclaiming, "What the hell was that?"

I shook my head in disbelief, "It can't be… everyone! Get away from the shadows! Find the light switch we need light."

Wally dashed to the light switch to illuminate the café while I worked on clearing away the desks and chairs, or anything else that could cast a shadow with my cape strands. I made clear circle around the doctors' desk and had the others crowd around her.

"What's happening?" Roquette asked fearfully.

"Just keep working!" I told her. she complied while Kaldur asked, "Perseus, what exactly are we dealing with here?"

I shook my head, "I…I'm not sure…"

I then heard the woman outside, "Keeping away from the shadows won't save you. Though don't you think it's fitting? The League of Shadows having a creature that can travel _through_ shadow?"

As if on cue, several desks were thrown into the air as something flew out of the shadows beneath them. I felt my friends tense as it walked forward on all fours. Its massive size forced its head to scrape the ceiling. Its enormous claws put deep scratches in the floor. A deep rumbling emanated from its chest.

Before I realized it, Artemis had already started firing arrows at the creature, but soon stopped when she saw the tools going right through the creature like it wasn't there. She gulped, "Percy!'

"Those won't work…" I stated numbly as I stared at the creature. I held up Riptide, "Only this will."

"Okay then use that!" Wally exclaimed.

"No." I responded.

"What?!" Roquette shouted.

"Perseus, we do not have much choice!" Kaldur pleaded.

"I can't!" I shouted back.

"Why?!" they all asked.

I looked up at the creature. She looked similar to when I last saw her, with a few major differences. A patch of fur on her chest, stomach, eyes and the tips of her ears were now white, but otherwise she had the same glossy black fur as before.

The other difference was her eyes. Instead of the deep, loving black eyes I remembered, her eyes were filled with hatred, rage, and murderous intent, and those eyes were staring straight at me.

With a weak voice, I answered the others question, "Because that's my dog."

Mrs. O'Leary let lose a thunderous howl, shaking the building and shattering a few windows, before baring her teeth and charging straight at us. .

 **You know I was really up in arms about whether to stop right there, I was like, yes it would be awesome, then known that would be mean, then yes mean is fun! Then no be a good person, and now we see which one won out.**


	8. Chapter 8

Third Person POV.

As the raging hellhound charged at the heroes, Wally grabbed hold of Dr. Roquette and sped her away, while Artemis and Kaldur dodged to the left and right. The only one who didn't move was Percy.

Instead of dodging the attack, he held his shield up just in time to shove it into Mrs. O'Leary's open mouth, keeping her from biting down on his arm. However, he had to shoot out his cape strands behind him, to give him support against his pets overwhelming force. He gritted his teeth as he did so and called out, "Kid Flash! You're on guard duty! Make sure Roquette finishes that program!"

"Hold on!" Wally replied, "We're not glossing over what you just said. That thing is your dog?!"

"Yes, I'm quite curious about that as well." Everyone looked at the front door to see the female assassin standing in the front door, with the other two standing outside. "We just call it Project Baskerville, or "The Shadow-Hound". How do you know of it?"

Percy glared at her as Mrs. O'Leary pushed him back gradually, putting grooves in the floor where his cape strands tried to stop his movement, " _Her_ name is Mrs. O'Leary. Now I suggest you tell me what the hell you did to her!"

The assassin shrugged, "Beats me, I'm just taking her for a walk. But the boss' will be very interested about this information. You however, should focus on the matter at hand."

Percy gritted his teeth again as he looked into Mrs. O'Leary's eyes, wild, hateful, and desperate. She was doing her very best to crush his shield in her Jaws, but Tyson's handiwork was working wonders, though Percy knew it wouldn't last forever. "Aqualad, take spider-creep and Captain Hook. Artemis, you focus on her." He nodded to the assassin, who almost looked pleased at this, or at least as pleased as she could look without facial expressions.

Percy could practically feel Artemis questioning this, "Why does he—"

"Just do it!" He snapped.

"Now now, don't be grouchy." The assassin drawled, before shooting her arms out again, throwing another barrage of knives and shurikens, causing Percy to wonder just where she was keeping them.

The struggling god just shouted, "Kid!" he couldn't turn my head far enough back to see what happened, but he felt a gust of wind, and Wally responded a second later, "We're good."

"Well you can't blame a girl for trying." Cheshire sighed, "Are you coming Blondie?"

In response, Artemis charged forward from Percy's right, while Kaldur charged from the left, bypassing the door and jumping straight through the café window to do battle with the two assassins. Artemis was quickly caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she and Cheshire chased each other around the building, with Artemis desperately trying to get a shot in on the agile assassin, and Cheshire relying on sporadic close quarters attacks, which Artemis barely fended off before the chase began again.

Kaldur was having different issues. Some in his position would have questioned Percy's order to set him up against two opponents, but he did not, choosing instead to trust in his leader and fight with all he had. That being said, it was still quite tedious, having to keep track of the man swinging his hook on a chain, and the alarmingly agile spider themed villain's red web attacks.

Percy, for his part, was now focusing on pushing Mrs. O'Leary away from Roquette, with the help of some water he from his pack. Behind him Wally asked awkwardly, "Dude… are you sure you don't want me to help?"

He groaned in response as the massive hound actually began to slide backwards, growling all though way. Wally whistled, "Guess not."

"Hey! Don't look at them, focus on protecting me!" Roquette snapped as she typed away furiously. Wally might have snapped back, before he saw the various beads of sweat travelling down her forehead.

Percy wanted to scream out as he strained his muscles to the max, pushing back Mrs. O'Leary, but that was when the hellhound decided she had had enough.

Without warning, she jerked her head to the side, taking Percy by surprise and flinging him towards the wall. Unfortunately, it couldn't stand up to the force and he ended up groaning in a pile of bricks in a nearby alleyway.

He sat up just in time to see O'Leary stalking towards Wally and Roquette, neither of whom seemed to know what to do about it. He stood up quickly and called out on instinct, "STOP!"

To Percy's, and the other twos surprise, she did. He thought about celebrating, before she turned to look back at him, slowly, and with a low growl in her throat.

He gulped, "Good dog?"

Apparently, she didn't agree and charged at him again. Percy sighed sadly before shaking his head and charging at her as well. Just before they met, he used his ( **ugh you know what I'll stop beating around the bush)** __he used his tentacles to launch himself upwards, straight at the creature's face. He then wrapped them around her snout, clamping it shut, and swinging his body around to straddle her back, "Mrs. O'Leary! I know you're in there! Come on it's me! Percy!"

In response, she just growled and struggled to open her mouth. Robin and M'gann had assured him that the material in his tentacles would be versatile enough to block bullets and lift up to several hundred thousand tons, theoretically, which is why he deadpanned as the tentacles began to tear and snap. "Really?

The hellhound broke its bonds in an instant, leaving Percy with several tentacles now at half the size they used to be. She then crouched down before jumping straight up, driving Percy's body through the ceiling and flying off her back on the roof.

He landed on the roof with a grunt, before wondering aloud, "Were you always this strong."

He then heard the clashing of weapons, and looked over to see Artemis and Cheshire having it out on the other side of the roof. How they got up there he wasn't sure. He casually called out, "You good?"

Artemis looked like she was about to answer as she dodged a Sai strike, but Cheshire answered for her, "I'm pretty okay at the moment. But it's sweet of you to ask. Don't you have more pressing things to deal with." 

Percy looked over at the hole he was thrown out of, half expecting Mrs. O'Leary to leap out on cue. However, when he looked down, she was no longer there.

He began to worry that she went back to Wally and the doctor, but his fears were calmed when Mrs. O'Leary came flying out of the shadow of one of the edges of the roof, grabbing Percy in her massive jaws midair before disappearing in another shadow. This actually made the two women stop fighting and look at what happened, Artemis in shock, and Cheshire in slight disappointment, "Well that was anticlimactic."

"Perseus!" Artemis called out helplessly, only to be brought back to reality as Cheshire struck again, "It's useless, no one that monster takes ever comes back."

Artemis took that information in with horror, considering Robin and M'gann were taken too, before they were interrupted again. Mrs. O'Leary popped out of the Shadows on the edge of the roof, with Percy clinging to her side, "You can't—" the disappeared into the shadowy alley below, before popping up across the street, "Get rid—" They went back into the shadows before popping up in between where Kaldur was fending off the two male assassins. "OF ME THAT EASILY!" they then went back in.

Cheshire stared along with Artemis, who smirked, "You were saying?"

Cheshire scoffed while striking at her again, "No one likes a braggart."

Meanwhile, after a slight interruption by his screaming leader on the back of a raging hellhound, Kaldur resumed fighting against the two assassins.

He was currently watching them both carefully with his water swords. They were watching him with caution as well, having learned by now that he was no laughing matter. Kaldur had maintained a steady calm demeanor in the face of two enemies, as he had experienced far worse odds during his time in the Atlantean military.

Black Spider tried getting it close with a flying leap, only for Kaldur to change his right sword into a water whip and send it to the assassin's leg. Once he had a good grip, he spun the assassin around, using his momentum against him, before letting him go to fly at Hook.

As they crashed into one another, Kaldur smirked slightly and drew reverted his whip to the blade once more, charging towards them once again, fueled with both adrenaline, and the confidence he gained from Percy's trust in him to handle this.

In the café, Wally stood awkwardly around Roquette as she neared completion. After a few moments he said, "Sooo… how are you— "

"Shut up." She said simply.

"Got it."

Percy, having shadow traveled before, was confident that he could stay attached to Mrs. O'Leary's hide, as they went at breakneck speed through the shadow realm. Popping up in random places in the street, as well as random countries in between. However, he soon realized that his prior experience only involved one trip, after which the Hellhound would become too tired to continue. He hadn't thought about it at the time, but her performance during the battle with the Giants was unbelievable, and incredibly difficulty if he had to guess. However now he sensed no hesitation as his pet shot in and out of the shadow dimension, and the constant speed was starting to make his head spin.

Then, after what felt like hours of the worst roller coaster ever, he noticed something new on her neck. It was colored black to blend in with the majority of her fur, so he hadn't noticed it until now. It was some sort of collar, but it looked like it had buttons and dials, and was way too bulky to be a regular collar. His eyes widened.

"I really hope this works!" He shouted to no one in particular. As the ride continued with Mrs. O'Leary trying to shake him off, as they were passing through what looked like France, he pulled Riptide out of his pocket once again. He had dropped it earlier, having no intention of using it on his dog, but now it had a use.

He slid the blade under the collar as gently as he could, however with the high speeds and wind shear, he couldn't help but nick her a few times by accident, which didn't help her mood.

Be it luck or some form of divine intervention, (He was hoping for the former) he managed to slice through the collar just as we emerged back in the street in front of the internet café. As soon as the collar came off, Mrs. O'Leary seemed to fall immediately limp and crashed down onto the street, throwing him off her back.

He landed with grunt in front of Kaldur. It took him a moment to clear his head enough to see that he had both male assassins knocked out and tied up behind him as he rushed to Percy's side, "Perseus! Are you alright?"

Percy rolled over and got up, "Yep perfectly fine, good job on these guys."

He looked back at them then at Percy, "Well… you were the one who convinced me I could do it."

Percy looked at him in confusion, "You had doubts? You were up against a gymnast with alarming fluid discharge and a low budget amputee, I knew the outcome before it even started. Have more confidence man."

He nodded to Percy, "Of course."

Percy then walked over to where Mrs. O'Leary was now out cold. Kaldur asked, "How did you defeat it?"

Percy held up the collar, that was still in his hand, "I think she was being controlled by this, as soon as I got it off her she stopped moving."

"What do you think that means?" Kaldur asked.

Percy stared at Mrs. O'Leary, as she let out a rumbling snore. "I don't have a fucking clue."

Meanwhile, Artemis was still fighting hard against her enemy. Unfortunately, she hadn't made much progress, as Cheshire was just as fast as herself, if not faster, and despite her ranged advantage, she either couldn't land a shot on the agile opponent, or was forced into close combat.

Eventually she ended up giving up on shooting and tried to pour all her focus into the next up-close encounter, this was a mistake.

As soon as Cheshire unleashed her "random" attack, (she had been expecting it) Artemis attacked first, intending to catch her off guard by lashing out with her bow instead of preparing for defense. Instead of surprising her however, Cheshire seemed to expect this, and in a single fluid motion, snatched her bow away from her and flung her towards one of the roofs vents, sending pain coursing through her body.

She shook it off however and got up, reaching for her quiver to use an arrow as a last resort weapon, only to just realize that she felt lighter. She looked towards Cheshire to see her waving a small knife in the air, while tossing the bow behind her, next to where the quiver fell after the strap was cut.

Artemis gritted her teeth and got her hands up, ready for a fist fight, causing to Cheshire to giggle. "You really think you can win? Even now?"

Artemis shrugged, "I haven't lost yet."

"I haven't started fighting yet."

Artemis wasn't sure to say back, and before she could decide, Cheshire suddenly tensed up. Out of seemingly nowhere, Artemis found Cheshire's foot driven into her midsection, causing spittle to fly out of her mouth and her to double over. Before she could fall forward, she felt Cheshire move behind her and press a knife to her throat. The reason for this turned out to be a slightly beaten and battered Perseus standing across the roof from there.

"How did you defeat the Shadowhound?" Cheshire asked curiously. In response, he tossed forward the control collar, "I swear to the gods that if is some kind of shock collar you will regret it. And _she_ is a _hellhound_. My hellhound."

Artemis was still confused about that, and could tell that Cheshire was too, as she clutched Artemis a little tighter, as if hiding behind her, "I told you I'm just following orders. I didn't put the collar on the dog, but I know it's meant to control, not torment."

Percy nodded thoughtfully, "Okay then… you going to let her go?" He gestured to Artemis.

"Are you going to let me go?" Cheshire shot back."

"No." Percy admitted simply.

"Then that's a no from me as well. And don't think about using any of those abilities of yours. This mask isn't just for show, it will alert me to any funny business. I won't hesitate to kill her. "

Percy raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't have any reason to believe she was lying. He nodded in understanding. He then casually walked casually towards where Artemis' bow and arrow lay.

Cheshire pressed the knife closer to Artemis' neck, "Stop! What are you doing?"

Percy shrugged, "I may lose a teammate but her equipment could still be useful."

That had both girls speechless. "What!?" Artemis exclaimed, and Cheshire didn't bother to stop her.

Percy looked up with an eyebrow raised, "What? You're captured, if she's smart she'll take you with her as leverage and kill you when she loses us. You're pretty much dead weight now."

Artemis couldn't believe what she was hearing. After spending some time with him, she had been convinced that Percy was a caring, compassionate, individual, but now she feared his true nature was turning out to be just like the gods he claimed to hate.

To her surprise, the first person to speak about this was not her, but her captor, "Seriously? You're giving up on her? Just like that?"

Percy chuckled at that, "What do you care? You're the one threatening to kill her." As he did so, he gave the bowstring a few tests pulls before moving on to the quiver.

Cheshire seemed unsure of what to say to that, but before she could decide, Percy exclaimed, "Okay time out!"

He pulled out one of Artemis' earliest trick arrows, before she became Green Arrow's official sidekick. She felt her cheeks burn slightly as he held up the arrow with a miniature boxing glove on it, "What in Uncle Hades name is this? Seriously is this a cartoon?"

Artemis finally snapped, "I forgot to take it out alright! Now will you stop the jack ass charade and save me already?"

The roof was silent for a moment as Percy stared at her blankly, before he shrugged and said, "Yeah alright.

Before Cheshire and Artemis could react, he had the arrow nocked and aimed directly at her, and released.

Time seemed to slow down for the three, not in the Kronos way, but the oh my god that's a dramatic moment way. Artemis' face was curling up into a smile as her image of her leader was restored. Cheshire was backing the two of them up as a reflex. The arrow… was gradually getting more and more off target.

The arrow flew several feet to the right of the two girls as they watched it fly past. After a few moments of silence, Cheshire couldn't help but let out a giggle, which turned into a chuckle, which escalated into a full-on laugh, "Wow."

Percy did not give up however and kept drawing and shooting arrows from the quiver, unleashing a barrage of assorted arrows, all flying right past Cheshire and Artemis.

Said archer was watching the display with soul crushing disappointment. Of course he said he couldn't shoot his arrow to save his life, but she didn't think he was _this_ bad.

Percy cursed as he missed again, "Curse you Apollo!"

"Are you done?" Cheshire asked curiously, "Cause to me it feels like you're done."

He shook his head and continued to fly though Artemis' arrow supply, "Na, think I'll keep trying. "

"You're more likely to hit her than me." Cheshire reasoned, "And have you forgotten that I'm pressing a knife to her neck?"

He chuckled, "Well sure but you're not going to stab her."

Artemis looked at him in disbelief, honestly not sure what to think about him anymore, while Cheshire tilted her head, "Oh? And what makes you think that? I'm a professional assassin dear, I kill people for a living."

"That's it actually," He stated as he unleashed another dozen arrows as the two. Artemis was now getting nervous as a few went inches from her face. She desperately wanted to cry out for him to stop, as it was getting embarrassing to watch, and the best he would likely do would be to put an arrow in her instead of her captor. But she kept quiet as he continued, "You're a trained assassin, you should know by now that the best place to stab someone in the neck is about three inches left and half an inch above where you have it now."

At this Artemis felt Cheshire tense behind her, though she wasn't thrilled that Percy was giving her tips on how to more efficiently kill her. Cheshire shot back, albeit the slightest bit shakily, "And how would you know that? Don't' you heroes have a thing against killing?"

He didn't even flinch, instead choosing to stare right back at her with a smirk, "Yeah they do. I don't really get it. Don't take me siding with them as lack of experience however, I've killed before. Never mortals, but monsters, other demigods…even gods. That and a separate, much less pleasant experience has gotten me very familiar with anatomy. At least, in terms of where to cut to cause pain, death, and in rare cases emergency amputation. Mostly the death and pain parts however. The way you're holding that knife, if you do strike like that there's a good chance she might survive if she gets help in time. You're just putting on a display. A bluff.

Cheshire stared at him silently, before responding, "I think you're the one that's bluffing."

Percy raised an eyebrow in amusement, "You can "think" all you want, but I know. What I don't know however is why. I mean it's been established that you're an assassin, you shouldn't have any problem with killing her."

"But it's totally fine that she _does_!" Artemis stated sternly and meaningfully towards Percy, who just ignored her.

"The only reason I could think of is if she means something to you. but who could mean something to a professional killer? A daughter?" Cheshire shifted, "A sister?"

"This is starting to get on my nerves." Cheshire growled out,

Percy smirked knowingly, "Translation: I just struck one. So, Artemis, what is your sister's name?"

Artemis blinked at the sudden question, but as she thought about it, her eyes began to widen. "Her name is… Jade— "

"Enough!" Cheshire shouted, "I'm bored of this, we're leaving, whether you like it or not!" She then yanked Artemis backwards, making their way to the edge of the roof, when she suddenly stopped. Artemis wasn't sure why until she saw Cheshire's mask clatter on the ground next to her, with a green arrow sticking out of the edge.

Artemis looked back at Percy to see a frightening expression on his face, made more frightening by a bright green glow coming from his eyes, he already had another arrow knocked. As our eyes met he shouted, "Now!"

Thankfully she got what he meant, and shot her head back to meet the face of her shocked captor, sending the assassin stumbling back in a daze. Artemis dashed forward a few feet before turning to see her face, and sure enough, she was met with the face of her estranged older sister, now with the addition of a small gash in her cheek where the arrow went through the mask. As soon as she was out of the way, Percy expertly fired off his arrow, which turned into a bola that wrapped around Jades arms, pressing them tight to her body. For added measure he shot out a tendril of water to wrap around her entire body, immobilizing her completely.

Artemis stared at her sister for a few more moments, before turning to Percy, "What happened to "can't shoot to save my life"?"

He shrugged as he handed her back the bow and quiver, "Not sure. I didn't plan that at all."

Artemis' eyes widened, "What? then what the hell _was_ your plan?"

He waved his hand and another tendril of water burst out of a vent behind Jade, "I was planning to keep her distracted while I snuck this behind her. Unfortunately, she lost interest too soon, and I… reacted I guess."

"You call suddenly becoming a master archer "reacting"?" Artemis asked in disbelief

"As interesting as this is," Jade spoke up in annoyance, "I wonder if Artemis can deal with you bringing me in, and telling you everything I know, considering all the things I know about _her."_

Artemis flinched at this, but before she could say anything Percy spoke first, "If anyone has a problem with something that happened in her _past_ then they'll have to deal with me." he then looked over at Artemis with a small smile, "We've all done things in our pasts that we're not proud of."

Artemis stared at him for a few more moments before nodding numbly. He then clapped his hands together, "Alright then, let's get you down to the other two and see how Roquette is doing

Turns out the doctor had finished the program during the fight, and had been waiting for the heroes to finish with Wally, who was still on guard, despite the reason for her termination becoming moot. They rounded up the subdued assassins outside the café where they could see them before gathering around the doctor inside. Mrs. O'Leary meanwhile kept snoring in the middle of the street.

Superboy was in a similar state, laid out on the café floor, oblivious to all that had transpired. With everything finally settled down, there was only one thing left to deal with.

"What happened to Robin and M'gann?" Wally asked as soon as Percy walked in.

Percy sighed, though he expected this, "I don't know where they are, but I have a good feeling that their still alive.

"A good feeling?" Wally asked incredulously, "What good is a feeling it a time like this?"

"Kid," Kaldur spoke up gently, "Have some faith, he did bring the creature down after all. Though I must ask, how did you know of the creature beforehand?"

"Do you have an idea of what happened to M'gann and Robin?" Artemis asked.

"I do." He answered firmly, "I think she shadow traveled them somewhere far away and left without them."

"Shadow travel?" Wally asked.

"Basically teleportation." He responded, "She can travel through shadows to go anywhere in the world.

"So for all we know they could have been let go above an active volcano?" Wally asked frantically.

Percy stared at him, "I could really do without your negativity dude."

"Though I do agree that it was unnecessary to bring up that image,' Kaldur said cautiously, "He has a point, they could be in danger."

"I don't they are to be honest. I just went through fifteen different places with her when she was trying to shake me off, it seemed to mostly consist of countries halfway across the world… I think she's just taking her victims somewhere else."

As if on cue, they all heard a phone ring in the back of the internet café. They all looked at each other before moving back through the café, while Kaldur stayed behind to keep an eye on the prisoners.

Percy picked up the phone and simply asked, "Hello?"

" _Perseus?! Is that you?"_ Came a familiar voice.

"Robin?" Percy asked, while looking at the others with an _I told you so_ look, "Where are you?"

" _Well… as hard as it is to believe… we're in China."_

Percy wasn't the least bit surprised by this, "You said we, who's with you?"

" _Hello!"_ M'gann's voice came over the line, _"After that thing grabbed us we both ended up in the middle of nowhere, but I managed to fly us to a nearby city. It'll take a few hours before we reach the nearest teleporter. How is everything there? Robin said you finished the program, and that it saved WayneTech data."_

Percy smiled, "Good to know. We had some trouble but we managed to subdue the assassins and Mrs. O'Leary, with Roquette in one piece, Superboy's still out but he should be fine, I think."

" _Mrs. O'Leary?"_ Robin asked.

"Right sorry, she's the thing that sent you China, she's my dog from my old universe.

"… _what?"_ they both asked

"Long story. Anyways I should probably let Wally talk to you, as he is tapping my shoulder at a hundred miles a minute, here he is," He gave the phone back to the anxious speedster, and made his way back to where Kaldur was waiting. "So what now? This is my first official "villain" take down, so I assume we have to do a little more than call the cops to come get them."

Kaldur nodded, "I contacted to League and reported our success. They will send somebody to come retrieve them.

Percy nodded tot him and made his way outside, loosely aware of Artemis following him, but not before scooping up the torn off pieces of his tentacles.

As he walked out the door, his eyes locked on to Jade, "No."

Before the girl could even look up, he had sent a tendril of water to surround her again, causing her to groan in annoyance, "What gives? Are you really that scared of me? or are you maybe into this sort of thing…"

Percy once again ignored her and willed the water to untie her bonds, bringing the rope into view to see that she had almost completely cut through the rope. He then had the water force her hands into view to reveal that she had been doing it with her own nails, which had some sort of sharpened metal nail extensions. Jade simply smirked as she had been caught, "What? Selina isn't the only cat allowed to have claws."

Percy rolled his eyes and approached with the tentacle piece, using it to tie her up instead. When he was done he backed up and examined his work, before nodding in satisfaction.

He went to go check on Mrs. O'Leary again, when he heard Jade say, "I hope you're ready little sis, when I start talking, I wonder how your little friends will start to see you."

Percy looked back at Artemis and noticed the look of doubt on her face. He rolled his eyes and walked back to take her hand. "Come with me.

Artemis' face grew red as she felt herself get pulled by her leader towards the gigantic mastiff creature.

He crouched down in front of her head, examining the new white markings on her fur. Artemis stood a few feet away, still unsure of a creature, until Percy looked back at her, "She's a sleep, come closer."

Usually, if she were commanded to do something like that by any other guy, she would have physically expressed her thoughts on the matter, but with Percy, she could practically feel the lack of ill will in his words, and did as she was told.

Once she was crouched down he gestured to the dog, "Meet Mrs. O'Leary."

Artemis tentatively touched the creatures nose, causing it to scrunch up and sniff, sending a gust of wind into the girl's face, blowing her hair back behind her.

She shook her head and sighed, "What is this about?"

Percy leaned back and allowed himself to sit down as he stroked Mrs. O'Leary's fur. "When I was 15, I led an army of demigods into a war."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at this, but kept quiet, waiting for him to continue, "One of the missions in this war was for me and one of my friends to sneak on an enemy ship and destroy it. long story short, we did. We killed every monster… and demigod on that ship, my friend included."

Artemis winced, "I'm sorry— "

"I know, that's not the point," He said, "The demigods we… I helped to kill, were all my age, some younger, some a little older. For demigods 16 is considered basically adulthood, but in truth, they were just kids, who had to grow up way too fast. Kids whose lives I took way too soon, because they were led astray by someone who promised them peace."

Artemis looked away, "So you're trying to make me feel better by telling me the worst thing you've done?"

Percy actually snorted, causing her to look back and see a dry smile on his face, "Oh please, I've done way worse things than that. Truth is I barely think about it anymore. Do you know why?"

Artemis only looked at him until he said, "Because it's in the past. And I don't mean that anything you did in the past should be excused, but that no matter what you did in your past, willingly or not, it's who you're striving to be now that really matters. Understand?"

Artemis nodded slowly, prompting him to stand up and offer her a hand up, "Also, you're definitely not alone in the family drama department. The majority of the people I've fought are related to me in some shape or form."

Artemis whistled, "That sounds awkward."

He chuckled, "Oh yeah, family reunions are hell… hehe." Artemis looked at him strangely as he snickered at his own inside joke, before they made their way back towards the cafe. Unbeknownst to them, Jade was watching the exchange closely, and noticed the look of relief on her sister's face as they walked back.

She couldn't help but smile.

Percy POV

I sighed as flew back to the cave on Blackjack. Beside me floated Mrs. O'Leary on a bed of water, still out cold. The day had been long, and confusing, and it wasn't helping that he was being interrogated about it by Blackjack.

 _How did they get her? how did she even get_ here?

"I don't know," I growled out for the hundredth time, "I'm just as lost as you dude."

" _I highly doubt that. What happened to her fur by the way? Not saying the contrast doesn't work, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to ruin a good thing. You know the saying, once you go black— "_

"Oh, look we're here!" I interrupted him as we flew down towards the hangar opening in Mount Justice. He simply snorted in annoyance.

Landed in a trot beside M'gann's ship, allowing me to jump off and tend to Mrs. O'Leary as I gently set her on the ground. As I did so I heard the elevator ding, and turned to see Wally, Artemis, and Kaldur, along with Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary. Robin and M'gann were still making their way through China.

They all approached me cautiously, except for Batman, who walked ahead at his usual pace with no trace of worry.

He stood above me while I knelt next to her, petting her gently. The others stopped a couple yards away as he asked, "So this is your dog?"

I snorted, "Yep."

"I'm sorry," Green Arrow spoke up, "But how in god's name is that a dog?"

"She's a Hellhound," Batman spoke up, moments before I was going to, "A monster from your underworld, correct?"

I nodded to him, "Hellhounds are creatures of darkness, created by Nyx herself. Everyone one of them I've encountered have wanted nothing more than to rip me to shreds and devour me, except for her. Also, she's one of the largest I've ever seen."

"So, you domesticated her somehow?" Black Canary asked, only for me to shake my head.

"She was actually passed down to me. Daedalus was the one who trained her, how though I have no idea." I looked at the others and saw that that just opened up a whole round of questions, for those who hadn't seen inside my head, so I quickly added, "It's a long story. Are the assassins taken care of?"

"They've been taken to a proper facility to be interrogated." Batman explained. "You all did good work detaining them."

"Wait a second, you can't just change the subject just like that!" Green Arrow protested. "We still have a lot of questions, like why your dog was working for assassins! How do we know she won't attack when she wakes up?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Honestly? I'm not sure. But she went unconscious as soon as I took off some kind of electronic collar. I'm not sure if it's possible, but I think she was being mind-controlled by it."

"It's definitely possible," Wally said thoughtfully, "Probable too."

"But it cannot hurt to be cautious," Kaldur added. "She was obviously not in her right mind when she attacked us, it might be wise to detain her until she wakes up."

I smiled at him, "I see where you're coming from Kaldur, but no. I know her, she'll be fine."

Not everyone seemed convinced, but no one pressed the subject. Instead Black Canary asked, "Should we try to move her somewhere more comfortable then?"

I nodded, "Soon, but not until..." I trailed off as the elevator dinged again, "That."

Superboy, now conscious, came out with Tyson, with a hand covering his eye. The confused Cyclops wondered aloud, "Are we there yet?"

Superboy rolled his eyes, obviously having heard this several times, before looking at me, "I brought him, what now?"

I smiled widely, "Let him see."

Superboy nodded and uncovered Tyson's eye, letting him look around in confusion for a moment before his eye snapped to where Mrs. O'Leary.

He stared at her in shock for a moment, while I quickly stood up and silently moved everyone out of the way so he had a clear path to her, ignoring their questioning glances. They soon understood when he bolted towards her, growing in size as he did so, so that her size matched his. He threw himself down next to her to look over her worriedly, with slight tears of joy forming in his eye, before he wrapped the sleeping hellhound in a warm embrace, crying gently, "I missed you!"

I gave him a few minutes to hold her before he finally looked up, "How did you find her? I didn't know she came with us "

I nodded, "Neither did I. unfortunately she was being used by some bad people— "

"WHAT?!" He shouted, causing everyone in the room to flinch, "Who? They should be taught what happens when you steal other people's dogs!"

I chuckled darkly and nodded, "Don't worry I agree, but first let's just focus on making sure she's okay."

He nodded in agreement and went back to fussing over her while I looked at Batman. "You don't plan on stopping me, do you?"

The Dark Knight hummed in thought, "The League of Shadows is a powerful organization, known to cause trouble for even the most powerful members of the Justice League. I can work on finding you missions concerning them, but to take them head on would not go well. There's a reason none of us has been able to fully defeat them so far."

I nodded, trying my best not to snort as I knew what "the reason" was. However, those thoughts left when I looked to see Tyson with a scared look on his face as he held his ear next to Mrs. O'Leary's chest. "Tyson? What's wrong?"

He looked up at me with concern. "Why isn't she waking up?"

I shrugged, "When I took her collar off she just fell asleep, I assumed she was exhausted."

He shook his head, "If she was really asleep her heart wouldn't be beating so fast."

I raised an eyebrow and went to see what he was talking about. I pressed my ear to Mrs. O'Leary's chest, and sure enough, her heart was beating abnormally fast, as if she was filled with adrenaline, despite the fact that she was completely limp.

"Something's wrong with her!" I concluded.

"Should we take her to a vet or something?" Artemis asked helplessly.

I shook my head as I looked at the spot on the back of her neck where I nicked her with Riptide, the wound was spilling a bit of monster dust. "That won't work. She may look like a dog but I doubt that anything they could do would work."

Batman walked forward and scraped some of the dust up with his finger, inspecting it closely, "Is this here blood?"

I wasn't sure how to answer, "Whenever a monster like her gets killed, they instantly explode into that stuff, before they start to reform in Tartarus. They leave behind a dust pile ,with no bones or organs in the mix."

Batman nodded and continued to examine it. It might have been my imagination, but for a moment I thought it was glowing slightly.

"Perhaps we should consult a master of the mystic arts." Kaldur spoke up. "Perhaps they could shed better light."

I was uncertain, "I doubt they've ever seen something like her, she's from another universe after all."

Kaldur nodded, "True, but my understanding of magic is that it is much like science. When one becomes knowledgeable in all its concepts, they can use them to explain something previously unknown."

"Unfortunately, we only know a few individuals with that level of knowledge, who have not been corrupted by the power that comes with it," Batman explained, "Zatanna is currently occupied with the demon problem and Constantine is off the grid, again."

I deadpanned, "You only named two people…"

"I told you we only know a few. There's one more I can think of who might be able to help, but he's been out of the game for years now, it'll take a while to track him down. Unless you'd rather wait until Zatara returns— "

"No!" Tyson exclaimed, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. He soon realized his rudeness and blushed, "Sorry, it's just… I want to know what's wrong, as soon as possible."

"All right then," Batman stated, before turning around and heading back to the elevator, "I'll begin the search. In the meantime, try to relax, you did good work today."

Most of the teens beamed at the praise, but I had other things on my mind and turned to Tyson, "Can you take care of her for now?"

He nodded firmly, "I'll try singing to her, that's worked to calm her down before."

I blinked, momentarily stuck on the thought of hearing Tyson sing for the first time. It was enough to make me consider staying, but I quickly shook myself out of it and rushed to catch Batman in the elevator. He didn't say a word as I joined him right before the doors closed.

Now, regular elevator rides between two people are awkward enough. It only gets worse when one is dressed up like a bat while remaining unflinchingly serious about it.

After a moment I spoke up first, "Did you know about Artemis?"

"What about her?"

I rolled my eyes, taking that as a definite yes, but deciding to play along, "How about the fact that one of the assassins we apprehended turned out to be her sister?"

Batman was silent for a good minute, probably deciding what to say, before answering, "She had an unfortunate childhood. Both her parents were assassins for hire, and she was raised accordingly, along with her sister. It was a miracle she chose the good side, obviously there were other paths she could have taken."

I nodded, "Yeah…. So, the whole "Green Arrow's niece" ting was a lie?"

"Oh no, that part is true."

I looked at him in disbelief, "Was that supposed to be a joke?"

He looked at me in confusion, before apparently realizing I had called his bluff. He smirked, "impressive. There are very few people who can detect when I'm lying. I've even managed to fool Superman from time to time."

I shrugged, "Yeah well, monsters like to sneak up on me a lot in human form. It pays to be able to see the bullshit. Anyways, enough changing the subject. Were you ever going to tell us?"

"Probably not." He answered simply, "We didn't think it was necessary information in the long run, and Artemis herself never seemed comfortable discussing it. Is that a problem?"

I shrugged as the doors opened to the main floor, and followed him out, "I guess not. We're all entitled to secrets, but when Cheshire tried to use it as leverage against her, and by the look on her face, it might have worked. Those types of secrets are dangerous to keep."

Batman was thoughtful about this as we made our way to the briefing room, "You're right. However, in the end it will be her choice. Robin already knows by the way, he researches everyone, a habit I drilled into him."

I snorted, not all surprised by that, "How long do you think it will be before you find your "magic master"?"

"Couple hours," he answered, "Depends on if he wants to be found or not. "

He typed some coordinates into the teleporter, while I sighed loudly, "Five drachmas say he'll not."

Batman flashed me one more smirk, "If so, I'll just have to find him anyways." With that final promise, he teleported off to wherever he goes to lurk alone.

That left me with several options, all of which began stripping off my armor and taking a nice warm shower before anything else.

Like most people, I often had some of my best ideas in the shower, of course it helped that all of my thoughts were much clearer under the downpour. I found myself wondering just how Mrs. O'Leary made it to our world. For one thing, the fates never mentioned even sending Tyson with me when I came here. Though it stands to reason that if he was here, Mrs. O'Leary wasn't so hard to believe, as she was also in the vicinity. It made me wonder if anything else could have made it through. So far we had all appeared in different places in the world…

I shoved the thought down. as amazing as it would be, Ella was dead before the fates did whatever they did, so I assumed she and dad were already beginning their reformation in Tartarus.

Speaking of which, I was still uncertain if there was a Tartarus in this dimension. Though in a way I guess Tartarus was its own dimension… just thinking about it all made my head hurt, though the water helped soothe the headache.

I got so wrapped up in my thoughts that hours passed by before I realized it. I quickly turned the water off and got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist as I went to get dressed. I was wondering if Robin and M'gann were back yet, when my answer came in the form of M'gann opening the door suddenly with an excited look on her face, "Percy, you have to come—"she froze when she realized the state I was in, bare chested, water glistening off me, as I hadn't willed it to disperse yet, and my scars in plain view.

Her green cheeks gradually turned scarlet before she slammed the door, "SORRY!"

I sighed and willed the water to disperse so I could get dressed. Once I was done I opened the door to find the Martian girl still beside herself with embarrassment. I asked with mild annoyance, "Why didn't you knock?"

She winced, "I know I should have, I was just excited and forgot myself for a moment. On Mars we know instantly if it's okay to open or not so we don't bother with announcing ourselves. I'm really sorry!"

I felt my annoyance slip away, "It's alright, I forgive you. just don't let it happen again." I then chuckled, "Imagine if it was Tyson you walked in on instead of me."

I expected her to laugh, if only slightly, instead her blush only deepened, something I took note of but didn't bring up, "So what did you want to tell me?"

Her eyes brightened, "I wanted to show you! Come on!"

I shrugged and followed her through the halls, before she led me down the steps to the forge. I was confused, as usually she avoids that place like the plague, due to the heat, but now it seemed the heat was gone, replaced with the coolness of the rest of the cave.

We stopped at the end of the steps, where Robin, Kaldur, Superboy, and Artemis sat as well, looking in the forge silently. It wasn't until I heard it that I understood.

I walked down to see Tyson sitting next to Mrs. O'Leary in the forge. How he got her down there was beyond me, but I've learned not to question him. The lava pit was covered up, and he was petting the hellhound slowly, still in his large form so he could better handle her. As he did so, he was softly singing to her in a weird language I didn't recognize, but felt familiar with for some reason.

I realized with a start that he was singing in the language of the old time. The one that Kampe spoke, and that Tyson instinctively understood somehow. That was not what had everyone enthralled however, instead it was the fact that he was singing so _beautifully._

Tyson usually spoke in a deep baritone voice, that didn't always match up with his childlike innocence, but now he had shifted up a few octaves to sound more pleasant, and could likely go even higher if he wished. I shouldn't have been surprised by this, as I had seen him perfectly imitate a wide variety of voices with creepy accuracy. The fact that he had perfect control of his voice in any given situation was fitting.

"What language is that?" Superboy asked, "I don't recognize it."

"You wouldn't." I explained, "It's the Ancient tongue, the language used by Gaea and her children at the beginning of earths creation. It's rarely used nowadays, but all Cyclopes know it from birth."

"It's beautiful…" M'gann stated, as she stared wistfully at my brother. I raised an eyebrow at this, but again decided to shelve it for another time.

I listened for another few moments, before asking, "Why are you hiding by the way?"

"We didn't want to disturb him, or make him stop." Artemis explained.

"But he knows you're here." I stated, gaining confused looks.

"What do you mean? He hasn't acknowledged us." Wally stated cockily.

I hummed with interest before whispering, "Hey Tyson!"

He stopped singing and looked back at me, "Yes?"

The others practically fell forward in embarrassment as I walked forward, "How is she?"

He looked at her sadly, "I've managed to slow her heart rate down with my singing, but it starts back up as soon as I stop. I'm afraid… if her heart keeps up that pace for too long with no rest, it might give out from the stress. I'm honestly surprised she's lasted _this_ long…" He then continued singing while I looked at Mrs. O'Leary with concern. At least I know why he didn't acknowledge the others now.

"Batman said he would find someone to help soon. Until then, are you sure you can keep this up? You look kind of tired."

He looked at me with determination, "I'll be fine. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyways with her like this, although…. It's a little embarrassing with the others staring at me like that."

I nodded in understanding, "Alright then. I'll leave you to her, and I'll make sure the others don't bother you."

He blushed, "Sorry…

"Don't be, and I'm sure you know this, but they're only watching cause they like your singing. You don't need to feel embarrassed."

He nodded, though the blush didn't leave, so I only patted him on the back, as high up as I could reach in his giant form and walked back to the others.

"Shows over," I stated, shooing them up the stairs, "Come on."

"Oh, come on!" Wally and Artemis whined in unison, before looking at each other with amused looks.

I shook my head, "Let him be alone for now." They reluctantly wandered back up the stairs, I even saw something akin to a pout on Kaldur's face. M'gann was the last one to leave.

"Are you sure he's okay all alone?" She asked.

I smiled, "He has Mrs. O'Leary. He'll be fine."

The Martian girl finally relented and floated up the stairs.

I joined them to find Batman standing in front of them, with a look on his face that I didn't like. "Come with me."

We followed him to the briefing room where a picture of an old man with a cane was shown. "This is Kent Nelson, otherwise known as Doctor Fate."

"Of course," Kaldur muttered, "He was earths sorcerer supreme…"

"He was." Batman agreed, "Back in the days of the Justice Society of America. He eventually retired, and has been living a normal life, or at least as normal as a 106-year-old magician can get."

"And you think he will be able to figure out what's wrong with Mrs. O'Leary?" I asked.

"I do." Batman replied, "Unfortunately he is currently missing."

I groaned, "So we're back to square one?"

"Not necessarily. Kent may just be holed up in his tower of Fate, his base of operations it's happened before, but the only way to know for sure is to go look." He drew a strange golden key from his pocket, "This key will grant access to the tower. I need you all to go and check on him. Of course, we need him from Mrs. O'Leary, but it is also important to know if he or the tower has been compromised. The tower guards the Helmet of Fate, and if it falls into the wrong hands— "

"Let me guess: disastrous consequences? Possibly world ending?" I interrupted. This was beginning to sound a little too much like another fetch quest for my liking."

Batman wasn't fazed by my attitude however, "All of those things and more. I know you all just finished one mission, so you have the option to rest before going."

I shook my head, "I can't wait that long, Tyson said her condition is already iffy," I looked around at the others, "I will be going, but I understand if you guys stay back and rest. I mean— "

"Nonsense." Kaldur interrupted, "Respectfully, nonsense. you're are leader, our teammate, as well as our friend. We won't let you go alone. Right?" he was met by a chorus of agreement.

"She might have sent M'gann and I to china," Robin laughed, "But if she's important to you she's important to us too."

Wally laughed "Yeah and besides, everyone knows sleep is for the weak." I held in a snort at the irony in that comment.

I smiled warmly at them. "Thank you." I looked back at the Bat, "Where is the tower?"

 **Later, Salem Massachusetts**

As we walked through the quiet town of Salem in our civvies, I couldn't help but shiver. I don't get cold easy, having survived the frigid depths of the ocean, but something about this town just didn't sit right with me.

I wasn't sure what it was until Artemis spoke up, "Anyone else super creeped out?"

"Oh thank god, I'm not the only one" Wally sighed, "Do you think it's always like this?"

"Perhaps it's just our imaginations?" Kaldur suggested.

"I heard this was a place of great suffering for magic users," M'gann spoke up, "Why would Dr. Fate set up here?"

"Well think about it." Robin spoke up, "Fate would probably prefer that people not hate magic users. What better way to do that than to win over the heart of the hatred itself?"

I shook my head, "What are you talking about? What happened here?"

Everyone stopped and looked at me, "You never heard of the Salem witch trials?" Artemis asked, more out of confusion than rudeness.

As a matter of fact, I had, but it had been so long that I had forgotten all about it. I made an O look with my face, "Oh right… sorry, it's been a while since my last history class."

They all just accepted it and we move don. We were heading to a certain park in the middle of the city. When we arrived, I was expecting to see the so called "Tower of Fate", but instead was met with an empty lot of grass."

I blinked as we all stared at the definite lack of a tower. "So… are we in the wrong place or…"

"No… this is the right place," Robin assured us, looking at the address on his phone. I guess it is a magic base."

"So, what… we have to say some kind of incantation?" Wally asked skeptically.

"Perhaps not,' Kaldur stated, asking me for the key. I gave it to him and he walked forward, "Perhaps it simply requires a show of faith."

We all watched as he walked forward with the key in front of him, as if he were about to unlock a door. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, until the end of the key disappeared.

Suddenly, an enormous stone tower appeared in front of us, with the key inside the door lock.

"Okay, magic tower it is…." Robin muttered.

"Please!" Wally explained, "So it was in camouflage mode, that doesn't mean it's magic."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't tell me you're on the whole "No such thing as magic" thing again are you?"

M'gann frowned, "Even on mars we have a healthy respect of our sorcerers and priestesses, do you really believe it's all a lie?"

Wally stiffened, before rubbing his head, "Well… no! I just like to be skeptical, so the fakes won't make the authentics look bad you know?"

"Smooth." Robin chuckled, earning an elbow to the ribs form the speedster.

I shook my head at their antics, and followed Kaldur into the building.

There was a collective gasp as we entered, as the pace inside revealed itself to be several times larger than what Wesaw outside. Above us sprawled several layers of stairs going in every and any direction with no thought to logic. "Still worried it's not real magic?" Artemis quipped, earning a dirty look from Wally.

We entered the lavish room, only for the door to disappear behind us. "Uh… is that supposed to happen?" Superboy asked.

Before we could answer, a holographic image of Kent appeared in front of us, "Greetings, you have entered with a key, but the tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent."

I was about to answer when Wally beat me to it. "We are true believers, here to find Doctor Fate." I could actually hear the fakeness in his voice.

The hologram smiled and I sighed in exasperation. "Great. Now you've set off the trap."

"What trap?" M'gann asked. a moment later the floor beneath us disappeared, letting us fall into a pit of boiling lava. As we fell I cried out, "THAT ONE!"

M'gann quickly caught Robin and did her best to hold him aloft, but I could tell the heat was already getting to her, so she struggled with even that. Kaldur was caught by Artemis, who happened to have some kind of grappling device handy. Robin performed a similar stunt while Superboy managed to grab the side of the wall and dig his fingers in to slow his descent. I was not so lucky.

Since I was standing more in the middle, I wasn't close enough to any of the walls to grab on. I let out one more curse as I plunged straight into the lava pit.

Now, I had experienced lava before, back at Mt. St. Helens, when the Telkhines threw it at me, as well as the following explosion, but being submerged in it was an entirely different story. Somehow it still wasn't the most pain I'd ever felt, but it was up there. I knew instantly that I wouldn't last long, even with my natural resistance.

Luckily, I was only in for a moment before a strong hand grabbed me and pulled me out. I cried out as Superboy hoisted me out of the molten rock, wincing as his own feet dipped into the pit. "it's alright! He's alive… somehow."

"We need to get out of here fast!" Kaldur explained, "M'gann and I's physiologies cannot withstand such heat."

I opened my mouth to suggest something, ignoring the pain that came with even a movement as small as that, but it seemed I didn't have to, as I suddenly felt myself being hoisted into the air. I looked down to see what appeared to be solid darkness wrapped around my waist, as well as the waists of all my other teammates.

I was unceremoniously dumped on the ground at the top of the pit, but didn't care as I relished the escape from the heat. I found myself on my hands and knees as I struggled to catch my breath, before I became aware of a pair of black shoes in front of my face.

I slowly looked up to see our savior, and found myself staring as I realized that it was the same cloaked figure I saw under the bridge in Metropolis.

Most of her body was covered in the purple cloak, save her shoes. The cloak was held together by a round, gold clasp with a red crystal in it. From my view, I had a pretty clear view of her face. It was astonishingly pale, a lot like Nico, but unlike him, her cheeks weren't sunken. She seemed to have an almost healthy glow about her. judging by her face I'd say she was around 16-17. I couldn't see her hair, but she had dark blue eyes, framed by an elegant facial structure, and they were staring straight at me.

As if all of this wasn't weird enough however, as she stared at me, her face seemed locked in a look of despair, as a steady stream of tears that rolled down her cheeks.

I found myself staring for several moments, before a cool breeze alerted me to something even more alarming: the lava had burned my clothes, leaving me stark naked.

 **Chapter 8!**

 **Well there you go, if you haven't guessed who she is from the description I'm sure someone will say it in the reviews. I thought it would be nice to introduce her now, both because the timing seemed right and also it's my birthday today!**

 **As you can probably guess, things are going to start to deviate more and more from the young justice storyline, aside from just adding Percy. I will be adding more characters like this in the future, as well as switching up pairings to suit my wishes. I'll also try to add some of my own missions here and there, but it's honestly much easier to follow the series loosely, and ultimately less likely to confuse. I won't ruin this fic just to prove something to myself, or anyone else for that matter.**

 **The Raven/Percy pairing will be underway… eventually. Of course he won't hook up with a girl he just met, especially since he's still so emotionally unstable. In the meantime, many women will take an interest in him in a much less emotional sense, and try as heh might, the godly side of him might not always be able to resist…**

 **Anyways love you all. Bye.**


	9. Chapter 9

Percy POV 

I looked at the pale faced newcomer for a few moments before remembering that I was currently naked. I quickly sat up while covering myself, before clicking my watch, activating my shield and giving me something to cover my waist with as I stood up.

The look on the new girls' face was interesting to say the least. She had been looking at me while crying silently, but quickly grew a red bush along with the tears, before looking around uncertainly, trying not to look at me but not knowing where else to look.

I tried my best to keep my composure, sitting up straight while holding my shield over my waist. Thankfully my teammates were all on the other side of the shield so they couldn't see anything. They had eventually recovered from being pulled out of the lava pit, and were now watching the interaction silently, with mixed looks on their faces. Kaldur looked intrigued, Robin was trying hard not to laugh, Wally was looking at the new girl with interest, Artemis was blatantly staring at my torso, M'gann was looking everywhere except my torso, and Superboy was simply staring at the new girl cautiously.

Said girl, seemed to still be going through her whirlwind of emotions, before what seemed to be realization crossed over her face. The next second, all of her emotions disappeared, replaced by an emotionless mask of a face, that she kept when she finally asked calmly, "Are you okay?"

I was going to say yes, when I realize that would be a blatant lie. I had just taken a dip in a lava pit, and as I was not as resistant as Tyson, it had left me with a noticeably pinker skin tone, as well as an ever-present stinging sensation, like the world's worst full body sunburn. Granted I was lucky it was just that, but it definitely be an inconvenience.

Nevertheless, I gritted my teeth and answered, "I'll manage. What about you? You were crying just now— "

"It was nothing." She snapped, while keeping her face neutral, "Some embers reached my eyes.'

I raised an eyebrow at this, indicating how obvious it was that she was lying, but she didn't acknowledge it. I sighed at this and simply asked, "Alright then, want to tell us who you are?"

She looked over my teammates carefully, as if assessing their very souls, before answering, "You can call me Raven."

M'gann was the first to respond, "Thank you very much for saving us Raven." She received only a nod in return.

Kaldur walked forward, "Not to be rude, as I am grateful for your help, but what manner of magic allows you to manipulate darkness like that? I've never seen anything like it."

Raven shifted, "I'd… rather not say."

"Uh… are we just going to be okay with that?" Robin asked, looking at me specifically.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Yes. If she doesn't want to share its her choice. We should respect it, especially since she saved all of our lives. "

Raven remained silent at this. Then Wally decided to speak. "Works for me! I like a woman with mystery, so what's with the robe? Just shy or— "

As he began to flirt with her, I felt a white-hot fire in my chest. I wasn't upset that he was flirting with the girl, it was natural for him and I barely knew her, I was furious however that was doing it only moments after nearly getting me killed.

"ALRIGHT!" I snapped, causing everyone to look at me with concern, then shock when I stalked towards Wally, before stopping in front of him so that I was towering over him, "New rule: when we're on a mission NO FLIRTING!"

Wally looked at me in horror, before turning to the side as he said, "W-What? what are you—"

I growled, "Look at me when you talk to me. Why are you looking over there?"

He seemed at a loss for words, so he vaguely gestured to my lower regions. In my anger, I had forgotten all about covering my nudity, as my shield simply hung at my side. I might have been embarrassed, if my anger hadn't overridden that. I used my right hand to grab his jaw and force his head to look up at me so our eyes could meet, as they did so he whispered, "I am very uncomfortable right now…"

I snorted and gestured to the others, who were all entirely unsure of what to do about the situation, except for Artemis, who was watching the scene with undivided attention, "How do you think they feel? Now to answer your question, you will no longer flirt on missions, because if you hadn't been so hell bent on impressing M'gann with your "True Believer" bullshit, I wouldn't have had to take a lava bath! If Superboy hadn't pulled me out in time, it would have been a lot worse than some swinging junk and pink skin. Do you realize that?"

He gulped nervously, "I'm sorry!"

I turned my head so that his face was to my ear, "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I'm sorry for making you fall in lava!"

I shoved his face away, causing him to stumble back in surprise, and fall on his ass. "Now apologize to M'gann."

I felt the Martian tense, "Perseus…"

"Don't." I snapped, a little softer, "He's been making moves on you since day one, and any moron can see that you don't appreciate it. He needs to learn. Now, apologize!"

Wally looked at me in fear, then at the others, as if looking for help, but got none. So, he stood up, rubbed the back of the head and looked at M'gann, barely meeting her eyes, "I'm… sorry M'gann."

M'gann only nodded to him with pity, while I nodded in satisfaction before walking over to Kaldur, no longer caring enough to cover up, everyone had seen me already.

When I reached him I simply asked, "May I have your jacket?"

He was still frozen for a moment, before gathering himself and nodding quickly he stripped off his jacket and handed to me, before wincing at what I did with it.

"I'll get you a new one." I promised, as I fashioned the jacket into a makeshift loin cloth. I managed to make it cover both my front and backside before tightening it with the sleeves. It only covered my waist, but it did the job, and only looked a little stupid.

With that over with I looked back at Raven, who had watched the entire exchange silently, with the same unreadable expression, that rivaled even Superboy's, "Sorry you had to see that."

"It's… okay." She responded,

I smiled gently, before turning serious. "Now, as grateful as I am that you got us out of there, I have to ask, how did you get in here? We have the only key that I know of. Do you know Nelson somehow?"

She answered simply, "I have my own means of travel. The towers defense wasn't strong enough to keep me out. But I don't mean any harm. I just wanted to talk to Nelson about a… problem of mine. I guess you heard he was missing."

I nodded, "That, and we need him for something too. Not to be a jackass, but if we do find him, we're probably going to need his help first, as our issue is life or death and time sensitive. Is that okay?"

Before she could answer Artemis finally spoke up, "Wait wait wait! Are you thinking about bringing her with us? no offense to her but we don't know her! maybe it would be better if she waited outside or something?"

I looked at the archer with a raised eyebrow, though she didn't meet it as she acted almost blinded by my torso aimed towards her. I sighed in exasperation. Sometimes having a god like physique was annoying. "True we don't know her, but she doesn't know us either and she still saved our lives without a word. I'd wager she knows a hell of a lot more about magic as well, am I right?" I looked at her questioningly, and received a small nod. Then it's settled. Let's get started."

Without further delay, I called out, "We're here to check on Kent and the Helmet, as well as ask for help."

As soon as I finished speaking, the glow of the lava disappeared. I looked in the pit to see a petal plate covering the lava. I smirked then shot a dangerous look at Wally, who was slinking near the back of the group, trying to remain unnoticed as he licked the wounds on his ego. Without another word, I jumped into the pit once more, as I had spied a small hatch on the metal plate, and had a good feeling about it.

The others were obviously not following my logic as Robin called down, "Where are you going? Wouldn't the helmet be at the top of the tower?"

I saw Raven float past them and down to me, still keeping herself shrouded in her cloak as he looked at me with interest, "Could you feel the magic coming from it too?"

I shook my head as I opened the hatch to feel a burst of cold and snow. "Nope, just an educated guess, magic structures tend not to abide by the laws of physics." I looked up at the others, "Well? Get down here!"

They started to make their way down as I turned back to Raven and gestured to the hole, "Ladies first?"

She raised an eyebrow, before shrugging and floating down the hole. I followed after.

We emerged in a snowy mountainous region, gods know where. Raven was looking around calmly while I was quickly steeling myself against the freezing temperatures in my current condition of undress.

The others were soon to follow, with Robin leading the pack. As soon as everyone was in, Raven began walking in a certain direction. I shrugged and began to follow her.

Robin soon found his way next to me, "Hey, uh, Perce? Mind if I talk to you for a minute?"

I snorted, "You already are, what is it?"

The kid sighed before saying. "I don't want to question your judgement but— "

Something tells me you're going to anyway." I chuckled, causing him to sigh again.

"Look, nobody's saying that Wally's flirting wasn't irritating, but it's also Wally. It's just what he does you know?"

I nodded, "I know, but if it causes "accidents" like that, then he can be someone else while other people are depending on him. I know humiliating him like that wasn't easy to watch, but it's the only thing that would get through his thick skull. If I had my way I would have just kicked him off a truck like Superboy, but we both know that would not have the same effect."

The boy wonder was silent for a few moments as we followed the mysterious girl through the snow, but I could hear the gears turning in his head. eventually I just asked, "What is it?

"You're still being cautious of her right? I mean I know she saved us, but— "

I scoffed, "I'm not an idiot Robin, I thought you would have realized that by now."

"Sorry…"

"I know it doesn't look it since we're following her literally without question through a blizzard, but I'm not completely convinced she's on our side. Especially with those powers."

Robin nodded, "Yeah…you don't get to control darkness like that without a little darkness inside you."

I smirked, "Perhaps. It might not mean anything though, we all have a little darkness in us. if we were in my world, I would assume she was a child of Hades. She has the pale skin, the gloomy attitude, and though I haven't seen it personally, I'm pretty sure controlling shadows is one of their powers. As it is however, what she is is anyone's guess. Obviously, the demigods of this universe are different, with Wonder Woman as Exhibit A."

Our conversation was cut short as Raven stopped in front of what appeared to be a floating cane. The cloaked girl examined it with interest before reaching a hand out of her cloak. I noted that her hands were as pale as her face, as well as that most of her arms were covered in black sleeves, that extended to a few of her fingers. As she was about to touch it however, the mysterious object shot forward, straight tat me.

Using my enhanced reflexes, I managed to catch the thing before it slammed into my face. I then felt a strange new power flow through me, though I had no idea what to do with it. I looked at Raven for help. She simply stared at me as she answered, "The cane is a magic channeling device. Basically, like a wand. Kent Nelson is rarely seen without it, which would mean that since it's here…"

I sighed, "He's in trouble. Why am I not surprised?"

"But why did the cane fly to him?" M'gann asked curiously.

Raven frowned thoughtfully, "Based off the magic surrounding it, it's likely been waiting for someone with powerful magic to help return it to Nelson."

"But then wouldn't it have gone to you or Kaldur?" I asked, "I mean I have my powers, but spells, magic, that's out of my skill set while you're over hear talking like you can see magic in the air."

Raven shrugged, "The cane thinks you're a better fit."

I looked down at the cane in my hand, and couldn't help but wonder if it was a bit stupid. It definitely didn't complete my look, with the jacket loin cloth and the bright pink skin that was gradually beginning to repair itself. "So, what now?"

I got my answer in the form of the cane, which suddenly jerked into the air carrying me along with it. I tried to let go, but it seemed to have a grasp on me as well. As we flew into the air, a portal appeared in the air above me, leading back into the crisscrossing web of stairways inside the tower.

I landed on one of the stairs, rather but quickly recovered as I realized the cane wasn't in my hand anymore. I looked up and saw on a separate stairway, several yards away, was Kent Nelson, restrained by some matador looking Hispanic guy, holding a what looked like a wand. Next to them was some skinny pale boy, wearing a suit, and sporting a hairdo that would make Wolverine jealous. On his shoulder was a creepy ginger cat, and they were all looking at me with interest.

The boy spoke in a raspy, somewhat annoying voice, "Well, you don't see that every day. What are you?"

I blinked as they all stared at me, but Kent simply smiled, "Right on time." He then flew into the air, leaving his bonds behind, and shot towards the cane, which floated a few feet in front of me.

As he took the cane, Raven and the others exited the portal, either via flight of being lifted by another. Kent chuckled at this, "And you brought friends, perfect!"

"No matter!" Matador yelled as he and the creepy cat boy, "You won't escape that easily!"

"Yeah!" the boy shouted, "Get back here and give me that helmet!" He then started to summon red fireballs in his hands and launch them at Nelson.

On instinct, I got in front of the man with my shield, but before the attacks reached me, they were stopped by a glowing shield in front of me, I looked over to see Nelson holding his cane out to summon the shield. Once the barrage ended however, he gasped and started to fall. I grabbed him before he fell and held him in my arms. "Are you alright?"

He coughed slightly, as more fireballs came towards us, only to be blocked by a shield of darkness, courtesy of Raven. "Oh, I'm alright… just a little exhausted. They've been torturing me for days now…" He trailed off as he glanced at my torso, "Though I suppose you know more about that than I."

I ignored the remark, "What should we do? Who are those people."

The man sneered as he watched the pair fend off my teammates attacks. They were holding their own for now, but they were without their full equipment, and their opponents were definitely skilled, and well equipped. "Abra Cadabra, a fraud passing future technology off as real magic. Pathetic really."

I nodded as I watched the man shoot lightning out of his "wand", sending Superboy Flying. I then noticed the creepy guy fending off attacks form M'gann, "And the kid? Is that tech too?"

"No." Raven stated as she stood in front of us, surveying the fight, "That's Klarion the Witch Boy. I've… heard of him in the magic community. He's a true Lord of Chaos."

I raised an eyebrow, "That sounds like a bad thing."

"It is," Nelson agreed as he struggled to stand up, "He's the natural enemy to Doctor Fate, a lord of Order. Like Fate, his powers are powerful enough to have past civilizations mistake him for a god. I'm sure you understand more than most the implications behind that."

I tensed and stood up to face him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He looked confused, "Sorry, you are the one I saw on the news, right? Perseus the demigod, form another dimension?"

I felt myself, "R-Right, yeah that's me."

He then glanced over at Raven, "And you're… Raven. I believe I've heard some rumors about you."

The girl looked over at him with her constant poker face, "What kind of rumors?"

"That you were a powerful new magic user, and a heroic one at that. Of course, there are other stories…" I noticed Raven tense considerably, "…But I don't think they are very important."

Raven nodded to him, when a loud noise alerted us to the fact that Artemis was now trapped under a cage of electricity. I started to go to help her, when I felt a hand on my shoulder, "We haven't much time, I'm sorry but you'll have to save her later, right now they're buying us precious time,

Before I could ask what he meant by that, I felt myself fall through another portal, and land on what looked like the top of the tower. A moment later. Kent and Raven Followed

I felt myself glaring at the man, "What the hades do you think you're doing?! They're losing! They need help!"

"I'm aware." He responded, "Which is why I brought us here." He then gestured behind me. I turned to see a strange golden helmet floating several yards above the tower roof.

I blinked, "Is that— "

"The helmet of Fate." Raven concluded, before looking at Nelson. "Are you going to put it on?"

He looked surprised, before smiling sadly, "If necessary. The thing is, every time I put on that helmet, my life span increases several years. Most men would be okay with that, but…"

"You're wife." I stated, remembering the briefing on Kent, "You want to see her soon don't you?"

He smiled and looked at his pocket watch, "More than anything." He suddenly turned serious, "I won't lie however, whoever puts that helmet on will face some danger."

"What kind of danger?" I asked.

"Whoever puts it on, might never take it off." Raven responded.

I looked at Kent, who nodded sadly, causing me to groan, "Gods damn it…. Not to sound cocky but is the helmet really necessary? However powerful Klarion is I'm sure I can think of some way to take him down."

"Perhaps," he responded, "But this will be the quickest, and most efficient. I know it's a lot to ask…" I then realized that both he and Raven were looking at me expectantly.

"Wait a minute! Why am I the one who has to wear it? Raven is obviously more suited for magic than I!"

"So you say." Raven stated ominously, "Also, my type of magic doesn't really mix with Doctor Fate's. however, if you end up refusing, I will make do."

I deadpanned at the situation I found myself in. "So basically, do this life-threatening thing or else some innocent girl is going to do it for you?" I asked.

"It does sound pretty bad when you put it that way." Kent said apologetically. Meanwhile Raven had a strange glint in her eye when I called her innocent. "However, I'm afraid I must ask you to decide quickly, no doubt Klarion will soon find us and make his way here."

"Sooner than you think!" A familiar raspy voice called out. Then before we could react, a red fireball flew towards Kent and hit him directly. He stumbled back a bit, before stabbing his cane into the ground, setting up a glowing dome shield, before collapsing.

I managed to catch him again, but I instantly knew it was in vain. I could see the light draining from his eyes as he gasped out, "I trust you'll make the right choice…"

I stared at him in disbelief, "You _just_ met me!"

He chuckled "True. Funny how that works…" and with that he gave his final breath.

I set him down gently, as Raven looked at the body with a bit of shock shown on her face, the most emotion I'd seen on her since we first met.

I noticed the Cane slowly dissolving from the bottom up, no doubt indicating the time left on the shield. Outside the Witch boy was furiously shooting fireballs at us, as the Helmet was included inside the dome., but all of his attacks bounced harmlessly off the dome.

I looked over at Raven, who was staring at Kent, before looking at the floating helmet, which seemed to be giving me a smug look, "Fuck me..."

Raven seemed startled by this and looked over at me, "Excuse me?!" She soon calmed down however, as I was walking towards the helmet. "Are you sure?"

I looked over at her, "We've established that I don't have much choice. Just do me a favor: whatever happens, make sure that the others are okay, agreed?"

She stared at me for a moment before nodding, "I promise."

I sighed and reached for the helmet, as the cane was about to run out. Klarion noticed this and started growling, "No, no no no no! get your hands off that helmet! It's mine! I want it I want it I WANT IT!"

As the dome finally broke, I lowered the helmet over my head, just as a barrage of red flame encased my mostly naked form. Then everything went black.

Or at least, it got dark. I felt my body beneath me and started moving, "Hello? What is this place?"

"I knew you would do the right thing." I whirled around and reared back a fist towards the voice, only to see Kent Nelson, standing smugly with his cane and looking suspiciously alive "Woah now, you'll give this old man quite a scare. 109 years isn't' easy on the mind you know."

I was still entirely weirded out by the situation, but at that I couldn't help but respond, "I know."

Kent raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by—"He suddenly doubled over, clutching his head in pain. I rushed to his side worriedly, "Kent? Kent! What's wrong?"

After a moment his head shot up, gasping for air, before he looked at me with horror, "You… poor boy..."

I stepped back a bit, "What's going on?"

He kept staring at me for a few more minutes before shaking his head, "Sorry I… I suppose should explain first. This place, is the helmet. When you put on the helmet of Fate, Nabu, the lord of order takes over your body, and your soul goes here.

I felt my eye twitch as I stared at the man, but he simply continued, "When you put the helmet on, it seems my soul was sucked in along with yours, due to my long connection with it. Since our souls are both residing in such a small space, your memories…"

He trailed off and wouldn't meet my eyes while I sighed in annoyance, "you know I'm really getting sick and tired of people digging through my head. they should learn it's not a great place to be."

"On THAT WE CAN AGREE." Nelson commented.

I then had a thought, "So Nabu is controlling me right now?"

The old man nodded, "Indeed. it's actually quite the fascinating occurrence: a god possessing another god."

I rolled my eyes as I looked around the dark landscape, looking for something, I didn't know what, "Yea well, you should tell Nabu that I don't really take kindly to being possessed. How much longer is this going to take?"

Kent shrugged, "Not sure, let's find out."

I wondered what he meant, until la large image appeared before both of us, showing what was going on outside from the perspective of Doctor Fate. He was doing battle with Klarion, and by the looks of it, winning easily. Every attack Klarion through was blocked by the appearance of a golden glowing ankh symbol, which then countered with a devastating blast of its own. This all happened with astounding speed as well. By the look on Klarion's face, and the barrage of insults he through at fate, he wasn't happy about it. Though Fate wasn't paying attention to her, I could see Raven out of the corner of his eye, cautiously sending in small attacks of her own, though for the most part staying a safe distance away from the clash.

"Fates pretty good." I commented as I watched the fight, only for Kent to snort, "What?"

The MAN LOOKED AT ME WITH A MIX OF PITY AND AMUSEMNT, "Fate can only dish out as much punishment as his host can handle. Too much magic channeled and the host will fizzle out. I was pretty up there according to him, but this… I've never even scratched this level of power.

I blinked before looking at the fight again, "Really? I wonder why…"

"I think the answers obvious: you have the blood of a god!" I snapped towards the man, causing him to hold a hand up in surrender, "Right, don't like that word very much… I mean it literally however. That "ichor" running through your veins. I couldn't give a decent analysis as pair of souls, but what I've seen in your memories, it undoubtedly holds unmatched magical potential."

I wasn't exactly sure what to say to that, of course it made sense, but so far I hadn't been all that more magical than I was as a demigod.

As we watched the battle, Klarion soon found that he was hilariously outmatched, something that both enraged and confused him, before he shouted, "No fair! Something about that host is cheating" He then picked up his cat and burst into flames, growling, "We're out of here!" before disappearing.

I breathed a sigh of relief, as fate then went and took care of Abra Cadabra, via magically stripping his clothes and equipment away. This freed the others of their electrical prisons and lifted a weight from my chest I hadn't realized was there.

We then teleported back to the roof, where Nabu just… floated there.

I was about to speak up when I heard Raven say what I was thinking outside, "Alright, it's done, you can release the host now."

The view focused on the mysterious girl, indicating Fate was looking directly at her, when he responded, "No."

Raven grimaced at this, but I didn't know what happened next as I had whirled on Nelson, "Excuse me?"

The old man simply sighed in exasperation, before looking up and calling out, "That's not the way Nabu, you know it!"

The deep voice of my current captor responded inside the helmet, "Perhaps, but it may be a necessary evil. With the power this host possesses, there may be no one who can match our power. Also, I don't appreciate being left on a shelf for decades at a time, isolated in this helmet."

Nelson cringed, "That was my mistake Nabu, not his, don't punish him for it. He can find you a new host, one more willing, and in the meantime, I can stick around and keep you company."

"No." Nabu responded,

"I agree," I stated, surprising Nelson, "Why should you have to wait even longer to see your wife?"

Nelson smiled warmly, "Don't worry kid, a few years, even a few thousand years, will be nothing compared to the eternity I spend with— "

"Screw that." I interrupted, as I turned around, looking above us where the voice came from, "And I'm fucking _furious_ that I have to bargain for my _own body_ in the first gods damned place! Who do you think you are?"

Nabu answered simply, "I am a Lord of Order. I will defend the universe against Chaos by any means— "

"It was rhetorical!" I shouted, "But I'll tell you what you will be when I get out of here: a paperweight, and if you're lucky, maybe a popcorn bowl."

"Percy please!" Kent pleaded, "He can be reasoned with!"

"He shouldn't have to be!" I exclaimed. "Let me go right now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that child. Perhaps I could make it more comfortable for you however. I can see all the hardships you have faced, I could— "

He stopped talking and I tensed up at the sensation of pressure on my limbs, "What's that?"

"Oh dear…" Nelson said worriedly. I followed his gaze to the image of outside, where I saw Raven floating in front of Fate, with her cloak open, and revealing what was underneath. And let me just say… whoa.

I would never have guessed that with the hood and the long sleeves, that she had nothing to cover her long pale legs, but upon seeing them I couldn't blame her. they were quite impressive. The rest of her strange garment was all black, with a belt around her waist with several more of the red gems. As she floated in front of Fate however, what caught my attention the most was the way her cloak billowed out and emitted her dark magic, closely resembling the wings of the bird who shares her name.

She also had a hand out, sending her dark magic to wrap around fates body, causing the pressure I felt, as apparently since it was my body, I got to feel the pain. On her face was a look of uncertain resolve, as she stated, "Let him go! You can't trap him like that."

Nabu spoke back to her with a dangerous edge, "Know who you speak to child. I have forgiven your heritage, and vile magic since you assisted me, but should you go against me, I will not hesitate to eradicate you."

"WHAT?!" I shouted before rushing to Kent, "How do I get out? You have to know someway right?"

Nelson winced, "I'm afraid not. We are entirely at Nabu's mercy, and he is merciful, so if we just— "

Just then I looked back to see my other teammates now backing up Raven, obviously having been alerted to my situation. Then Fate spoke in his booming voice, "I have no quarrel with you children, but this body could mean the universe's eternal salvation, to that end I will go to any means to secure it."

"Oh bullshit!" I shouted at the entity, "You just don't want to leave the body cause you like it. Well Nabu, you can see my memories, right? Why don't you look and see exactly what my opinion is of godly possessions?"

Nabu was silent for a moment before responding, "I am not like your Kronos. And you are not like Luke."

I felt my eye begin to twitch, as this guy casually dismissed one off the most impactful moments of my life. I was about to retort, when Raven began to attack, along with the others.

I watched helplessly as my friends faced off against Nabu. At a glance, I saw that their tactic was to knock off the helmet. It wasn't bad, I wasn't sure if could have come up with a better one, but it definitely wasn't going well.

Kaldur, how had apparently brought his water controllers, was attacking with water maces, lunging at me from every angle. M'gann soon realized her psychic powers were no match for Fates magical defenses, and had instead chosen to use her morphing abilities to extend and morph her limbs into powerful weapons. Superboy was doing what he always does, charging in with brute force. Robin and Wally were working together a bit, with Wally running around Fate occasionally striking by himself, and occasionally launching the boy wonder at the sorcerer from out of seemingly nowhere, so he could use his agility and precision to land a good strike.

Unfortunately, Fate was dodging most of these attacks and occasionally using an ankh shield to block with ease. it was so easy for him in fact, that he was only doing it with a fraction of his attention, while the rest was focused on the one true threat: Raven.

I must admit I was impressed. She was managing to keep up with him pretty well in the air and on the ground, using her powers to fly herself wherever she wanted. Her own magical attacks were fast, precise, and powerful to boot. A few hits even managed to put a crack In Nabu's Ankh shield. All the while she had the same look of calm. I was beginning to think she would be able to do it, then Nabu went on the offensive.

He suddenly set out a golden shockwave, sending all the team members flying away, flight capable or not. The only one who stood up against it was Raven, who hid behind a shadow barricade. As I looked closely, it seemed that her dark magic was repelling its golden magic slightly. Not enough to give her an advantage, but enough for a chance. Now however, it seemed that chance was wasted.

"ENOUGH!" Nabu shouted, "You foolish mortals have no idea what you're doing! What grandeur you are fighting against! Now however, you never will. Starting with you, demon spawn." He lifted his hand towards Raven, who floated back warily, as an enormous ankh appeared in front of her, large enough to cover the others as well.

As the magic charged up I felt my heart beat painfully in my chest. I somehow knew that many of them wouldn't survive the following attack, and they were still too dazed from the shockwave to dodge it. On instinct, I knelt down and pressed my palms against the floor, before channeling an earthquake into the floor, shaking the floor. I then turned to Nelson, who was looking at me with a strange look of awe. "You should go and see your wife now. You won't want to be here in a few moments."

Nelson nodded slowly, "I'll take your word for it. Very well then, good luck. I look forward to seeing how you do. Inza and I will be sure to send you our support."

He then faded away, leaving me unsure of whether to feel good or creeped out, but decided to think about it later.

I remembered the feeling from Mt. St. Helens, and focused on that. Feeling a power build up in my chest as my earthquake grew stronger and stronger. Soon Nabu asked in a confused, and slightly worried tone, "What are you doing? How are you— "

"Just a bit of advice," I interrupted, "and something I really wish everyone would get through their thick skulls already. I am a child of the Sea. And the Sea doesn't like to be contained."

I then released the built-up power, and exploded.

Third Person POV 

Raven was having a confusing day.

Her original intention for that day was to find Kent Nelson for advice on her many issues. Instead she found that A: he was missing, now dead. B: someone else was also looking for him, and one of them was the same guy that had shown up after her encounter with her "siblings" in metropolis. She remembered him partly because of the strange magical aura he radiated, and partly because he noticed her.

She was trying to observe the aftermath of her encounter without being noticed. Until then, her stealth abilities had kept her hidden from everyone she had ever come across, yet this guy looked directly at her as if she was standing in plain view.

Of course, she had retreated right away, initially irritated that she was spotted so easily, but she soon began to realize that there might have been more to it.

She would never find out what it was however, if the guy was forever trapped in a golden helmet, possessed by a Lord of Order for the rest of eternity. To make matters worse, his vessel seemed to grant Nabu access to incredible power, only deepening her curiosity all the more. So, she did her best to help the strange group of powered teens remove the helmet, though she suspected it wouldn't be as simple as a mere lucky shot.

That was pretty much her only motive in helping him. She wasn't so foolish as to fall prey to some silly emotion like other girls who would have been simply dazzled at the sight of the naked man. She could admit freely that he was undoubtedly attractive, but she had enough control not to let it affect her judgment. What interested her more at that moment was the several hundred scars littering his torso, no doubt the result of meticulous torture.

It was something she would have to think over later, as at that moment, she was facing an unreasonably large golden ankh, preparing to blast her and her newfound allies to nothingness. She knew that the only option was to dodge, but doing so would require her revealing her portal trick. She had already shown them her dark constructs and flight capabilities. She didn't find them untrustworthy per say, but she made it a point to keep her cards as close to the chest as possible for as long as possible.

Nevertheless, she prepared to cast the spell to portal them all out of the blast, only for the enormous ankh to fizzle out and disappear.

She blinked in confusion until she saw Doctor fate clutching his head in pain. She wasn't sure what was wrong until she looked closer and noticed that he helmets itself was shaking violently.

Fate groaned, "How are you doing this!?"

"What's happening?" Robin asked her, as he had just picked himself up. Unfortunately, she had no answer for him, as she watched the sorcerer stumble around in pain.

Up until now, Fates voice had been a combination of the deep voice of Nabu overshadowing the quieter voice of the host. Now however, the voice of Percy was starting to stand out more as he yelled, "Stop it… stop that… STOP!"

As the others watched helplessly, the shaking helmet continued to pester Nabu, until it started to leak.

It was just a little at first, some water dripping from the sides, but then Fate stopped struggling, looked straight ahead and opened his eyes, to reveal that they were glowing sea green.

Raven stared at them in wonder, as they seemed to look right through her. Something about the way the glowed stirred something inside her, an urge to go towards it.

She was so caught up in this feeling, that she was truly startled when the light suddenly went away, as the helmet literally shot off of Percy's head on a water geyser, that was coming from Percy's head, engulfing it entirely. once the helmet was off however the water started spraying in all directions, coming from every part of his body not covered up.

The water gathered on the roof of the tower, quickly filling it up, getting all those who could not fly truly soaked, before it started cascading over the sides of the tower.

Once the spray finally died down enough so everyone could look at Percy without being sprayed in the eyes with water, everyone looked to see that Percy was no longer there. Where he had been standing was the now empty helmet of fate, and his jacket/loincloth, both floating in the water.

Kaldur was the first to speak up, "Where did he go?"

Wally rushed to the sided of the tower, wondering if he had fallen off the side with the flow of the water, but found no trace of him.

"This doesn't make sense…" Robin said aloud, "Disappearing wasn't one of his powers!"

"Neither was generating earthquakes," Superboy spoke up, surprising everyone with the significant worry in his voice, "Until recently. Maybe it's another power he didn't know he had? Like water teleportation?"

"He didn't disappear, or teleport." Raven stated.

"Then what?" Artemis asked, "Don't tell me he's…"

"He's not dead." Raven assured her, "at least not yet. He seems to be… in the water."

"What?" Wally asked, "What does that mean?"

"Guys, she's right." M'gann spoke up with a frown as she surveyed the water surrounding them, "I can still feel his mind, but it's scattered all around. It's like… he _is_ the water."

Raven nodded in agreement. While she didn't have mental powers as strong as the Martian girl, she had something of her own: empathy. Well, more like empathy on overdrive. She had the ability to feel the emotions of anyone just by being in close enough range. It was quite annoying for her at times, as emotions are what get her in the most trouble.

This power is also why she found herself weeping uncontrollably when she pulled Percy from the lava pit. Yet another thing that intrigued her about him was the fact that he positively _radiated_ emotion at all times. She had gotten in the habit of closing off everyone's feelings from her at all times, lifting her barriers when she wished, but Perseus… his aura of pain, hatred, sorrow, it had immediately broken down her mental barriers and nearly overwhelmed her. if she hadn't put up a stronger barrier in time, there's no doubt that things would have gotten much worse for everyone involved.

Like any reasonable person, she was incredibly curious as to what could have caused such strong feelings. (She had a feeling it had something to with his scars), but what Raven was even more curious about was how he contained it so well.

Back to the present however, she felt the pressure of his emotions on her mental barriers, coming from all around them. That's when Wally cringed, "So that means we're swimming _in_ him right now? That's disgu— "

"Focus Wally!" Robin snapped, before looking at the Martian and the cloaked girl with concern, "So he's turned himself into a liquid but still retains some form of consciousness? That's not so hard to believe, I've dealt with similar scenarios. Can't he change back?"

M'gann frowned, "I'm not sure. His mind feels… blank. It's hard to tell with it scattered the way it is but I don't think he's conscious enough to do anything."

"Okay, then how do we wake him up?" Artemis asked, "We can't exactly throw a bucket of water over his head."

"I have an idea." Kaldur spoke up, "But I suggest you all remove yourselves from the water before I proceed.

Everyone complied, with M'gann and Raven lifting them out of the water, while Kaldur focused, powering up the eel tattoos running down his arms. Once he was ready, he plunged his hands into the water and sent an electrical shock through the water, remaining still as it went through him as well, knowing that a shock generated from himself wouldn't be able to harm him.

After a few moments of this he stopped and looked at M'gann, who had her hand to her head and her eyes closed in concentration, "Anything?"

"There was definitely a response, but not enough to wake him up, he keeps getting more and more scattered."

The water from his body must be mixed in with all the other water he generated," Robin commented, "And if we don't wake him up soon…"

"He'll get so spread out that we'll never be able to find him!" Wally exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in panic, "This is insane!

"We have to gather water that makes up his body somehow, and send a shock through it alone," Kaldur stated, "Miss Martian, can you use your telekinesis to pick him out?"

She winced as she kept concentrating, "It's too confusing! I can barely tell where any of him is, I don't think I'd make it in time!"

Kaldur turned to Raven, who stiffened as everyone else followed suit, "What about you? I know we just met but is there anything you can do?"

Raven was still for a moment, considering her response, before reluctantly nodding, "There's something I can try…"

"Well you better hurry, since if you don't he may be scattered into tiny impossible to find pieces," Wally said, before adding, "No pressure." He soon received a swift slap to the back of his head, curtesy of Artemis.

Raven gathered herself, taking a deep breath in preparation, before levitating herself above the pool of water, and closing her eyes, raising her hands out over the water and beginning her chant, " _Azerath… Metrion… ZYNTHOS!"_

Her body tensed as she once again lowered her mental shields, allowing Perseus' emotions to flow through her again, as well as allowing her to search out the bits of water containing his consciousness. She sent out her dark constructs into the water to round up each drop of Perseus, all the while using all of her remaining willpower to keep the emotions flowing through her from manifesting itself in a way she didn't like. She made sure to lower her head though, covering her face just in case.

After what felt like an eternity to her, but was only minutes, she managed to round up all of the water containing Perseus and hold it in the air in a ball of shadow. With the job done, he brought up her mental barriers once more, feeling relief and wiping the tears on her face away before looking back up, "That's all of it."

"I'll take it from here." M'gann nodded to her. Raven allowed her to take control of the water with her telekinesis, before dissolving her magic so Kaldur could gain access to it. He took a moment to charge up once more, before shoving his hands up into the ball of water. As soon as the shock went through it, M'gann inhaled sharply.

No one needed to be told why, as it was made obvious by the now writhing mass of water in front of them, which gradually began to condense, until it took the shape of man

Then, before their eyes, the water turned to the flesh, and Perseus gasped in air, "What the-! Where-? What the fuck…" And like that he fell back unconscious, though now he remained in physical form.

Of course, he was once again fully nude, but no one seemed too worried about that anymore, as they were all just relieved that he was okay.

M'gann gently lowered him back into the water, where he floated peacefully, while everyone took a moment to process what just happened.

The first to speak up however, was Wally, who murmured, "Oh shit…" While looking at Kent Nelson's body, that was floating in one of the comers of the tower.

"Mrs. O'Leary…" M'gann said sadly, greatly confusing the human-demon hybrid.

"Who is that?" Raven asked, then froze as once again everyone looked at her intensely.

Robin spoke first, "Hey Raven, just how good are you with magic?"

Raven shifted uncomfortably, not sure what exactly she should say, "I'm… fairly confident, not as much as Kent was but..."

She trailed off as the others started a heated conversation among themselves. She heard snippets such as, "we just met her" "she seems okay" "what other choice do we have?"

In the end, they all turned back to her and Kaldur spoke, "I realize we've asked much of you today, but we would be very grateful if you did us one more favor."

 **Later**

Raven stared up at the sleeping hellhound in awe. She had seen a lot of things in her 16 years, a lot of bad, and a lot of beautiful, and she honestly wasn't sure yet which this fell into.

The teens had left the Tower of Fate several hours ago, making sure Kent's body was taken care of properly, as well as dealing with the drooling god in their care. Superboy had elected to carry him home, making sure his torso was covered before he slung him over his shoulder unceremoniously. Before he did so, Raven stole one more look at the marks covering his back. What caught her eye the most was the enormous scar running down his spine, as if it had been removed somehow.

Of course, she soon signed that off as ridiculous. No one could have their spine removed and replaced without dying. Though she knew for a fact that resurrections were not out of the question. She forced herself to stop thinking about it as the heroes led her to a secret teleporter hidden in random porta potty. When they started filing one by one she began to have serious second thoughts, but M'gann had assured her that it was completely safe… and sanitary.

She was being taken back to their home base, albeit without knowing its true location, in the hopes that she could help with a "magic problem" they were having. She asked several times for them to describe it, but they insisted that she would have to see for herself.

She had not been expecting a black and white mastiff the size of tank, being serenaded beautifully by a thirty-foot cyclops. It didn't help that he had made some less than flattering remarks about how she "smelled bad", before M'gann assured him that she was here to help.

The rather beefy giant had reluctantly let her approach the "hellhound" as she was informed it was called. He explained to her that she was passed out from mental exhaustion, while her body was responding as if under intense stress.

"So… what exactly do you want be to do here?" Raven asked everyone, who had surrounded her and watched her work worriedly. No pressure, right?

The cyclops named Tyson responded, "Her heart will give out soon if somethings not done. She doesn't have blood or organs, or really anything besides dust inside, so it can't be something chemical. I think she's under some sort of spell or something."

"We were hoping you had some way to detect such a spell within her," Robin said carefully.

Raven looked at them blankly, "Uh… first of all, where did she even come from? I've never seen or heard of something like her, and I've kind of been around with creatures of darkness."

"She's from Tyson and Perseus's Universe," 'Superboy answered.

"Specifically, the Underworld." Tyson clarified, "Which is the Land of the Dead."

Raven nodded numbly, taking it all in. Of course, she wasn't concerned to the underworld part, she had visited Hades Realm before. She never met the god himself, but she had heard that he was a just ruler.

The fact that they were all from another universe was complicated. She hadn't dealt with interdimensional travelers before. Well technically she herself was one, but she was fairly certain that there were entire spheres of dimensions that mirrored each other, making up the difference between two dimensions, like Hades Realm and Earth, and two universes, which apparently had its own version of the Underworld, that included, tank sized dogs.

Nevertheless, she couldn't find it in herself to just say 'Na you're on your own', so she sighed and nodded her head, "I won't make any promises, but there is something I can try."

"Really?!" Tyson exclaimed, almost making her jump as he boomed beside her.

"Yes, but it requires me to meditate first, in preparation. I'll do that first."

Everyone seemed satisfied with this. That was good, considering she had been straight up lying. As she sat down in front of 'Mrs. O'Leary' with her legs crossed, she did not begin reciting mantras or clearing her mind or anything like that, granted she does it occasionally, as it did indeed provide benefits to her mystical abilities, but what she was doing right now was very different.

As she clenched her eyes in concentration, her physical body suddenly relaxed, though remained upright, as her astral form left her body. This form was where she got her name, as it resembled a shadowy raven shaped form. She lifted away from her body and towards the Hellhound, not worrying about freaking the others out, as she could remain invisible in this form unless she wished otherwise. At least, that was what she thought, until she heard Tyson say, "Woah… Is that what meditation is?"

Her avian head looked at the goliath in shock to see that sure enough, his big brown eye was trained right on her.

As the others looked at Tyson in confusion, wondering what he was talking about, she retreated back into her body in panic before turning to him, "You could see?"

He tilted his head curiously, "What? The big bird thingy?"

"What "big bird thingy"?" Artemis asked with a slight edge in her voice.

Raven was still trying to think of plausible story, when Tyson decided to tell it for her, "There was this big shadowy bird thing that came out of her when she closed her eyes. It started going towards Mrs. O'Leary… you didn't see it?"

"No, we didn't," Wally stated, obvious suspicion in his tone, "What's that about?"

Raven looked around nervously, "I-I can explain!"

"Please do." Kaldur stated, also adding a bit of edge in his voice, which made raven the Most nervous "

She gulped, "I… have the ability to send out my soul from my body, I call it my astral form. It will make it easier to detect the spell, and it usually isn't able to be seen by anything unless I will it," She glanced at Tyson at that. After a few moments of blank staring, he suddenly gasped.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to look where I shouldn't have!" He stated uncertainly, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous smirk, "Cyclopes can see a lot… to make up for the depth perception."

"No need to apologize, T," Robin stated, narrowing his eyes at Raven, "That's definitely no form of meditation I've heard of. Why did you lie?"

Realizing there was no other way out of this, Raven answered "I didn't want to freak you all out… people tend to freak out at my powers."

It was true. In Raven's past experiences, the more of her abilities she showed people, the more likely they were to give in to fear of her and label her something unsavory. It was because of that that going to _Salem_ to find help had been like swallowing a bitter pill.

She was relieved to find a look of understanding flashing aver the heroes faces. She doubted they fully understood her own plight, but they must have had some experiences who people who feared what they did not understand.

"Alright, we'll let it go," Kaldur stated, "but I implore you not deceive us again, no matter the reason. You will face no judgement from us."

Raven raised an eyebrow at that, but could sense the sincerity in the boy's voice. She wondered how long that would hold up if he could see _everything_ she was capable of. Nevertheless, she nodded, "Fine."

Once again she sat down and closed her eyes. This time when she left her her body, she allowed herself to be seen, as expressed by the several gasps from the heroes, while Tyson just watched intently, unfazed by the shadowy form.

Raven went to work by hovering over Mrs. O'Leary and sending several tendrils of darkness over her body, some phasing through her form to survey her own soul. What she found was surprising to say the least.

The hellhound didn't have a soul in the sense Raven and the others did. The majority of the beings she had come across had a physical form that housed their spiritual form, with a few like her who could separate the two if need be. There were also those with only a spiritual form, and the occasional spiritless form that could not function without the command of another. Mrs. O'Leary seemed to be a mix of the two. Her form being both spiritual and physical. As she worked she asked for any other information about her, surprising the heroes as her voice came from her avian beak, but they got over it fast.

Apparently, the creature could travel through shadows, something that greatly interested Raven, as well as be impervious to most mortal weapons. M'gann explained that in Perseus' world monsters and gods were on a different level of being from mortals, with demigods like Perseus being hybrids of the two.

That was another interesting tidbit: Perseus' apparent godhood. To be fair it wasn't _that_ surprising. The guy practically radiated power, it made sense. She didn't understand why he was so weak in comparison to the gods of myth however, and unfortunately neither did he.

With all that in mind, she gradually gained a deeper understanding of how the hellhound before her worked. The "dust" inside her that apparently all monsters have, was in fact pure mana made physical.

She had no idea how this came to be, or how it fit in with the Greek Myths, or even if the mana of the universe could be condensed and used in such a way. There were spells and rituals that conjured creatures and spirits with magic, but Mrs. O'Leary _was_ magic on an entirely different level. The mana dust powered her, likely giving her eternal life as well as her shadow travel powers.

Raven found herself incredibly fascinated by it all, and wanted desperately to study her more. Perhaps it could lead her to some answers about herself, but right now she had a task to complete, and she had just found the problem.

Mixed in with the mana dust was something similar, but very different. She deduced that it was the supposed, "Ichor" that supposedly ran through Perseus' veins. She found herself slightly doubting that however, as she couldn't imagine how any physical being could hold even a single liter of that stuff inside them. Just touching it with her tendrils was hard. It wasn't exactly painful, but the substance radiated power so strongly that it slightly repelled her own.

It seemed like the mana dust, only as a liquid instead, but this mana seemed to be supercharged beyond anything she'd ever seen. Mana flowed through everything in its non-physical form, it was all around us, even able to be harnessed by those skilled enough, but this was nothing in comparison to the ichor.

Again she had to set aside her desire to examine and research in favor of addressing the problem at hand. The ichor was running all throughout the hellhounds body, mixed in with the dust. All the dust it came into contact with seemed to absorb the power the ichor radiated, but it looked like they were… overloading in a sense, the 'grains' of dust only able to hold a certain amount of power, which the ichor was quickly exceeding.

Raven could tell that this was what was putting the creature under so much stress, but had no idea what to do about it. Removing the ichor would likely be painful and difficult, and quite possibly fatal, but if it remained it would continue to overcharge the creatures essence until finally _poof._ She couldn't do anything for the creature, and was dreading telling the others that, when she realized she was being an idiot.

With a snap, she receded into her own body and looked at the others, several of whom had gone into various states of unconsciousness as they let her work. They jumped at her sudden movement, but settled down as she began to explain what she had discovered.

"So, either we have another god giving out ichor," Robin pondered, "Or somebody got a hold of Perseus' blood."

"But how?" Wally asked.

"We have been in many battles," Kaldur sighed, "It is only natural that he may have spilt some blood and not noticed in the heat of the moment. We should have become wary of that the minute we knew what his blood was."

"I mean, technically we still don't know, "Artemis added, "but yeah that probably would have been a good idea."

"So, can you fix it?" Tyson asked suddenly, obviously impatient with all the talk and eager to know how to f ix his friend. "Can you take it out of her or something?"

Raven shook her head sadly at the cyclops, "No, not confidently at least, and by the time I can become sure of what I'm doing, it may already be too late."

"So, what?" M'gann asked "She's going to…" She trailed off with a worried glance at Tyson.

"I may have a solution." Raven stated, gaining everyone's attention. She then removed her cloak, eliciting a whistle of approval from the speedster, who was then punched excessively hard in the face by the archer.

Raven ignored all that and gestured to the belt on her waist that sported the round red gems, "This is an artifact that constantly absorbs the magic power of anything it touches." This caused a lot of confused looks so she explained, "My powers tend to get… hard to control sometimes, so I where this to keep them manageable."

"But wouldn't it just suck you dry or something?" Wally asked while rubbing his head where a bump was staring to form.

Raven explained that she was capable of both channeling the mana around her as well as using the power she possesses inherently, as well as charging the latter with the former, so she never truly ran out. It convinced them thankfully, and even was true in some respects. She couldn't tell them that she wore it to make it harder for her father to track her down.

"If I put it on her, it may take care of the excess power the ichor is generating," Raven explained."

"Will that cause issue for you?" Kaldur asked.

"I can manage for now. I know where to acquire a new one, but she needs this now. Alright?"

Once she was sure everyone was onboard and wouldn't freak out when she took it off, Raven removed the belt and placed it around Mrs. O'Leary's neck, like a collar.

Once it was fitted around her, it instantly began to do its work, indicated by a slight glow of the red gems. After that there was a tense few moments while Tyson put his head close to the chest, listening to her heart beat, until finally he smiled, "Her heart is slowing down!"

That elicited a collective sigh of relief, form the heroes, followed by a series of uncomfortable handshakes and a few hugs thoroughly stressed out Raven before everyone finally settled down.

Raven was ready to leave then, gathering her cloak and getting ready to sneak back to the teleporter room while everyone was surrounding the hellhound, laughing and listening to Tyson talk about her.

Unfortunately, she wasn't sneaky enough and M'gann noticed. "Raven? Where are you going?"

She tensed up before looking back, "I…"

"You can't leave before Percy wakes up!" Kaldur insisted, "He'll want to thank you personally!"

Raven winced, she really didn't want to stay any longer, especially with her magic at full strength, but seeing the looks on their faces, she knew they would continue to insist. It had taken a bit over a month between the last two times they found her, so one or two nights wouldn't be that bad… right?

 **Chapter 9!**

 **Well there you go, a look at how I'm writing. There are several different versions of her, but mine might be a little OC in any case, cause fanfiction.**

 **As for my view on magic and how it works… its my view, that's pretty much the point, it may fit into the standards of DC but it always seems kind of vague to me so I'm taking liberties.**

 **There will be more Mrs. O'Leary plot next chapter**


	10. Chapter 10

**Would anyone mind if I changed Superboy's first name from Conner to something else? I don't feel that the name is particularly important now, since in the show it was given by M'gann as part of their relationship progression I guess, but I know it's his name in the comics too, but I have a really neat Idea, so unless you convince me otherwise it'll be something else. His last name will still be Kent though.**

Percy POV

Since I had arrived in the new universe, I had gotten into the habit of not sleeping anymore. I knew that it wasn't healthy, but every time I drifted off, it was like I was relieving those years, that _day_. But after a week or so I realized that I wasn't feeling any bad effects whatsoever. I was confused about this but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Once I learned I had Ichor running through my veins, I decided to chalk it up to that.

Now unfortunately, I had somehow found myself back in the realm of Hypnos, with no idea how I got there. I didn't take the time to try and remember, as I was too busy clinging to my sanity as all the horrific images for my past flashed around me over and over again.

That's why I let out a sigh of relief as I awoke, covered in sweat. Sweat was never much of a problem for me, I could dissipate it with no problem, though the smell sometimes remained.

This thought ran through my brain as I looked around to see that I was back in my room in Mount Justice, alone.

I swung my legs off the bed and threw off my blanket, revealing that I had slept entirely naked.

This was confusing, because even when I did sleep, I always wore a pair of briefs at least. I strained to remember what had happened before I went to sleep… and then I did.

I half-hazardly threw on a pair of shorts and T-Shirt and rushed out of the room. I ran full speed through the Mountain, not seeing anyone until I reached the living room, where I was met with the sight of Superboy, wearing similar attire and holding a bowl of cereal as he watched TV. He looked up at me with an eyebrow raised as I pounded into the room, "Morning."

I looked at him in confusion "But we were… it was night, in Massachusetts!"

He shrugged, "It _was_."

I leaned against the door frame for support as I tried to figure out what's happening, "Did I pass out?"

"Something like that."

I felt my eye begin to twitch, "Mind actually _explaining_ to me what happened instead of those annoying ass answers?"

He actually seemed to consider it for a moment before shrugging again, "Sure."

The last thing I remembered was being furious at Nabu for imprisoning me, and attacking the others. Superboy filled me on what happened after I exploded.

"Wow…" I found myself taking a seat next to the clone as I mulled over what he had told me. I was relieved to learn that the Helmet was placed somewhere in the mountain for safe keeping, but mostly I was just bewildered, "I can honestly say I never _became_ water before."

"Fits with your whole "son of Poseidon" thing." Superboy commented, "You found out about the earthquakes recently, it isn't hard to believe there's more to be discovered."

I shook my head in disbelief, "Okay sure but actually _becoming_ water then reverting? How does that even make sense? Even with magic I have trouble wrapping my head around it!"

Superboy had an amused expression as he continued to watch TV next to me. I then looked over at the kitchen and saw the time on the microwave, it said it was 4 in the morning.

I raised an eyebrow, "Geeze, no wonder no one else is up." I glanced at Superboy in curiosity, "Why are you?"

"I only sleep about 5 hours at a time," He answered simply, "Sometimes not at all. I guess it has to do with my Kryptonian DNA, though I bet Superman doesn't have to sleep at all…"

I sighed as he ate his cereal angrily, "You really need to stop comparing yourself to him."

He froze mid bite and looked at me, "My name is _Super_ boy. How can I not?"

I shrugged, "Get a new name then. Choose one for yourself."

He blinked, apparently having not considered that. After a moment he asked, "But… how do I choose?"

"I don't know, choose something that sounds good? Bottom line it's either that or being called Superboy for the rest of your life, and I'm guessing you don't want that."

He nodded slowly, "Okay."

I clapped him on the shoulder as I stood up, "Now then, did Mrs. O'Leary wake up yet?"

He shook his head, "We left her to sleep in the hanger for the time being, though I think Tyson was talking about making her her own room or something. He's down in that water cave he made by the way, working on bringing your ship in.

I winced at that, "At this hour? I get that you don't sleep but I know for a fact that he's near impossible to wake up sometimes."

"He was too worried I guess, waiting for Mrs. O'Leary and you to wake up, so he wanted to do something "Useful". You gonna go see them?"

I nodded, "I'll see Tyson first, let him know I'm alright, then he and I can go check on the dog. You want to come with?"

He waved his hand, "I'll pass. You guys tend to get a little too mushy for my taste."

I chuckled, "There's nothing wrong with a little brotherly love. You should get used to it, I'm pretty sure Tyson thinks of you as part of the family by now."

This caused the boy of steel to start, "What? But I— "

"Dude don't question it, the big guy has a big heart, that's all that can really be said."

Superboy didn't argue with that and I left to go find the aforementioned cyclops.

I made my way down through the forge area to the long tunnel that led to his new installment. I was more than grateful that he thought to do this for me. having a sea entrance will be useful in more ways than getting my ship in and out. I also knew that he was working very hard lately, almost too hard. Any outsider looking in might get the wrong idea and think I'm treating him like a slave or something, but the only reason I don't tell him to slow down is that I know it's his way of coping. Sooner or later he will have to take a breather and confront his emotions, but when that day comes, I don't have the faintest idea how I will be able to help him.

I emerged from the tunnel to see the enormous cavern, now complete with a sunken pirate ship on the far-right side of the cave. As of now there were only outcroppings of rock allowing me to walk along the sides of the room. Sooner or later some kind of docks will have to be built.

The frigate that we found was just as torn up as when we found it. It had massive holes in its hull so only the masts were out of the water, which was fine with me. I really wanted to go and take a good look at it, but Tyson came first. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen, until a loud noise caught my attention.

I turned to the left and tensed up as I saw a boulder being rolled away. It reminded me a little too much of Polyphemus' home, but I forced myself to relax when Tyson stepped out. I made my way over to him as he rolled it shut.

"Hey Tyson!" I called to him, causing him to jump five feet into the air, literally, before slowly turning to look at me like a deer in headlights. "Brother? You're awake!"

I gave him a small smile, "Yeah… what's in there?"

He looked at me in confusion so I gestured to the closed hole in the wall, "Oh that? Uh… it's nothing important. Just… somewhere I go to be alone!"

I raised an eyebrow at that. He was already alone way more than I'd like, with the missions, and all the time he spends in the forge, but I trusted him enough not to worry about it, "Alright… hey thanks for bringing the ship in! I really appreciate it."

He waved me off, a noticeable look of relief on his face, "It was nothing! Just let me know when you're ready to start working on it!"

I winced, having not been looking forward to the next sentence, "Actually big guy, I was wanting to work on this one alone."

I felt a pang in my chest as his excited look turned to one of hurt. "Oh… you don't want my help?"

I waved my hands, "It's not that at all man! I know with your help I could get it done in a single day! But I was actually looking forward to taking my time with it you know?"

Tyson looked down, "I… okay. If that's what you want…"

I put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't be like that man. I know you only want to help but you've done more than enough. Maybe you can work on some other project in the meantime, something just for yourself," I noticed a thoughtful look in his eye, "Also, I may be okay with rebuilding the ship to its former glory, but once I'm done, I'm probably going to want to give it a few "upgrades", if you catch my meaning. Will you help me again then?"

He still seemed a bit put out, but cheered up a little as I added that last bit, "Okay."

I threw an arm around his shoulder and started leading him to the entrance, "That's the spirit! Now come on, I want to go check on Mrs. O'Leary."

With that Tyson was back to his cheerful self and happily walked with me back to the hanger above. As we walked, he talked animatedly about all that had happened after I passed out. I had already heard it all from Superboy, but I was more than happy to listen.

We stepped out of the elevator slowly, looking all around for the Hellhound, as she was not laying in them idle of the room like she was supposed to have been.

"Looks like she woke up." I commented, While Tyson nodded in agreement. "But where did she go?"

Though neither of us said it, we were both thinking the same fears: that she had shadow traveled away to gods knows where, or worse, back to the people that had captured her.

Our fears were extinguished however, when I suddenly found myself making friends with the floor, while a heavy weight kept me pinned to the ground, and something very large sniffed the back of my head happily. I laughed wearily, "Please tell me that's her."

Tyson sighed, "Tsk, Mrs. O'Leary you know you're too heavy to be jumping on people!" He quickly pushed her off of me so I could get up and turn to her.

I couldn't help but smile at the familiar loving eyes of my favorite canine. The rage in her eyes were now gone, returning her to normal look, give or take a few white bits in her fur. I eagerly began to pet her, "Hey there girl! Where have you been?"

Tyson answered for her, "She came from the ceiling, I think she was clinging to it with her claws."

I raised an eyebrow. I didn't think her claws were strong enough for that, but didn't question it as her tongue rolled out as I vigorously scratched her favorite spot between her shoulders, "Silly girl! What were you doing on the ceiling huh?"

She responded by giving my front a good lick, drenching me in her saliva that for the life of me I couldn't will away. "Gross! Geeze… I guess some things never change… it would be a little easier if you were normal sized though."

It was something I mused about every time I was with her. Of course, I was mostly joking, but unlike every other time when she just looked at me blankly, I noticed a shine in her pupils, a _golden_ shine.

Next thing I knew, the enormous hound was gradually getting smaller. She went from towering over me to eye level in a matter of moments, while Tyson and I stared in amazement.

She only stopped when she was a couple inches taller than my waistline, near the size of regular dog. Once she was done she barked up at me happily and jumped up, putting her front paws on my chest to balance as she tried to lick my face.

I barely managed to snap out of my stupor to block the love attack before looking at Tyson, "Has she done this before when I wasn't around?" He shook his head, so I turned my attention to the now loose belt-like object that hung around her neck. It was a strip of black cloth, with ruby encrusted devices all around I . "Is this the thing that Raven gave her?"

As I crouched down to examine it, while also fending off the incessant licks from Mrs. O'Leary, he answered, "Yeah. I don't know exactly how it works, except that it's magic and it's keeping her alive. Do you think it has something to do with the shrinking?"

I hummed in thought as I examined the belt, "Maybe, honestly I have no idea. we'll just have to wait till Raven wakes up and ask her, after I say thank you of course. Is she in a guest room?"

Tyson nodded. "Yeah… she's really nice but…"

I looked at him in confusion, "But what?"

"She has a bad smell. Like a mix between Nico and a monster." I frowned at this. Tyson's nose was never wrong. He continued, "But Nico is nice, and so are Mrs. O'Leary and I, so she could be too right?"

"Of course." I told him, but I filed the information away all the same. A common trick of monsters is to start out nice so they can catch you off guard. I'd never heard of one going to this extent, but after the years I'd decided paranoia is better than being dead.

As I stood up, much to Mrs. O'Leary's displeasure, Tyson commented, "I hope she's not stuck like this. Maybe she can grow back? Mrs. O'Leary! Grow back?"

The hellhound only looked at him in confusion as he tried several different wordings to convey that he wanted her to return to her normal size. Eventually he just gave up and decided to wait for Raven.

In the meantime, we decided to head back downstairs and have breakfast with Superboy. Seeing as she could fit in the elevator now, we elected to take the hellhound with us. I was surprised when she ran inside on my first call, usually it takes a lot of persuasion to make her do anything, unless she senses that the situation is serious. She did have the attention span of a dog after all.

Superboy's expression upon seeing the shrunken down hound was comical, but he quickly regained his cool and listened to our explanation. Since it was his first time meeting her while he was awake, he was a bit cautious, letting her sniff his hand before she tackled him to the ground and began licking her face. Just the fact that she was able to knock him over was proof that she retained some of her strength even in her current form.

The rest of the morning was like that, playing with Mrs. O'Leary and telling Superboy stories about her, like the time Nico found her burying one of his summons, and the time she ate through the Ares cabin wall, since they were dumb enough to paint it with actual animal blood.

It was quite the interesting conversation, especially considering we got him to laugh, and even smile for more than five second intervals. He also took a quick liking to Mrs. O'Leary, especially since he didn't have to hold back as much when playing with her, A sentiment shared by Tyson.

We had long since finished our breakfast and were having a good time in the living room when M'gann finally made an appearance, looking slightly disheveled and yawning slightly, "You're all up already? Why do—OH!" She cut off in surprise when Mrs. O'Leary bounded up to her and began to sniff her with eagerness and curiosity. The Martian looked down at her blankly for a few moments before her it finally clicked, "Wait, is this… But she was huge!"

I chuckled at her reaction while Tyson explained the situation to her. at the end she had a look of confusion that matched what I was feeling, "So she just _shrank?_ Out of the blue? She's never done it before?"

"That about sums it up," I responded. "To be honest I'm pretty much past the shock and awe of it all. It's hardly the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me."

Nobody could argue against that, so the room was silent for a few moments aside form Mrs. O'Leary whining pitifully at M'gann until she pet her, making full use of her smaller size to look even cuter. As she cautiously petted the hell beast, M'gann asked, "So what are you going to do? This obviously isn't normal."

"I know," I answered, "But she's fine at the moment. For now, there's not much we can do besides wait for Raven to wake up, even then we don't know if she'll have the answer."

"The answer to what?" A familiar voice asked, causing us all to look at the doorway, where Raven stood, clad in the same cloak as yesterday, but with the hood pulled down, revealing her shoulder length black hair framing her pale face. Again, my mind flashed back to Nico, if she were a couple pounds more underweight she could have been related. I ignored the thought and greeted her, "Good morning."

She eyed me for a moment before answering, "Morning… whose dog is—"She stopped mid-sentence When Mrs. O'Leary turned away from M'gann and looked at her happily, revealing the magical belt swinging from her neck like a chain necklace. "…Oh."

I laughed lightly, "Yeah, sorry to ask this when you just woke up, but do you have any idea what happened?"

Instead of answering right away she approached Mrs. O'Leary slowly, kneeling on the ground in front of the couch, extending her hand for her to smell. Surprisingly, the hellhound took her time approaching, in contrast to her running leaps at all the other.

As she did this Raven explained, "I've actually been up for about an hour. I like to take some time each morning for meditation. I would have been done sooner but I…. was distracted."

I couldn't help but smirk as I realized what she was really going to say, "Were we too loud?"

She tensed, "Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything, I'm a guest after all."

I shook my head, "No need for apologies, we should have been more conscientious. I still need to think of a way to thank you for all you've done, but until I do…"

She took the hint, "Right. How did she get like this in the first place?"

I explained what happened to her, making sure to be as detailed as possible, as I didn't know what would or wouldn't be useful, while she listened patiently. Once I was finished see spoke, "So she shrunk down when you suggested it?"

I shrugged, "I guess? It was more of a joke than anything but here we are. Tyson tried telling her to grow back but she didn't seem to understand."

"Why didn't you try?" She asked simply?

It caught me off guard for a moment, but I quickly came up with the answer, "Technically she's my dog, but most of the time she was taken care of by someone else, either a friend at camp, or Tyson. I figured as long as she's been with him, if she won't listen to him why would she listen to me?"

Raven nodded, "I see. Well, maybe you should give it a try. I have an idea of what his might be, but I can't confirm it u less you do."

I was a bit confused, but decided to roll with it and stood up, facing Mrs. O'Leary, and feeling very silly as I told her, "grow back to your original size."

Sure enough, the hellhound gave a happy bark and started growing larger and larger. I was so busy watching this in awe, that I almost forgot that we were still in the living room. I realized after a few moment, right before Raven stated, "maybe we should have done this somewhere else."

I began to panic. Her full size would likely not fit in this room. At the least she would knock some things over, at the worst she could damage the celling and herself, and potentially bring about a collapse. Without thinking I called out, "Stop!"

As soon as the word left my mouth, her growth came to a halt, leaving her slightly larger than a horse. Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief.

"So, she does it when _I_ tell her to?" I surmised.

"Seems that way," Raven answered, "I'm assuming someone explained to you what was making her so hyperactive."

I nodded with a slight shiver. I had been doing my best to not think about the possibility of another god either selling his ichor or running the League OF Shadows. The idea that I clumsily bled all over the place without realizing it was much more appealing. Raven seemed to realize what I was thinking, "This convinces me that it is in fact your ichor that was injected into her. the magical properties of your blood seems to have formed some sort of connection between the two of you, the effects of which include being able to change her size with a single command. Of course, having no experience with gods and monsters like her, I can't explain exactly why this is, or what else it could entail. It might take weeks of research just to get a complete understanding of what Mrs. O'Leary is…"

I listened intently as she spoke, and at the end I was more or less relaxed. I tested her theory more by telling the hellhound to return to dog size, which she complied to immediately, somehow faster than the first time. I then felt the belt around her neck with interest, before turning to Raven, "And this? I doubt a magic draining device is a common trinket you can get anywhere. May I ask where you got it?"

From the look of apprehension on her face, I thought she was going to say no. in the end she just said, "I acquired it through less than savory means… nothing illegal, just unpleasant...but don't worry, I can get another one, eventually."

I frowned, "Thanks, but if you had to go through "less than savory means", would you prefer if I help you get a new one?"

A hint of pink appeared on her face before she shook her head, "No I… I'll be fine. Thank you though."

I shrugged but still frowned as I sat down, while Mrs. O'Leary went off to explore the new space of the cave. "Okay then. Though, I still need to thank you somehow. So far all I've done is ask more of you. I don't suppose there's anything in particular you would want?"

Raven shook her head, "Honestly, no, and there is no need for thanks. I actually planning on heading out soon. I feel like I've abused your hospitality more than enough."

I frowned even deeper at that, and M'gann voiced what I was thinking. "That's not true! You really haven't been any trouble!"

Raven shifted her feet, "Even so, I prefer not staying in the same place for long periods of time. I get… nervous. I don't mean to be rude…"

"No I think I get it." I answered before anyone could speak up. "But before you go, Tyson and I were actually planning on going on patrol in Manhattan today— "

Tyson looked at me in confusion, "We we-?" his mouth was covered by Superboy, who seemed to be on the same page as me.

"—Would you like to come with us? We could at least treat you to a meal before you head off, and who knows, maybe I'll think of something better while we're out there. What do you say?"

Raven looked like she wanted to say _No way!_ But also seemed to polite to do so. It was sort of amusing watching her internal battle, before she gave a weak attempt at a smile, "Okay."

I smiled widely, "Great, just give us a few moments to get ready and we'll get going."

She nodded reluctantly, as I got up and pulled a confused Tyson towards our room to get ready. Before we left though, M'gann spoke up, "Wait! What about Mrs. O'Leary?"

I turned to her, "She's well behaved, she'll just explore the cave or hang out with one of you while we're gone. If there are any… accidents, I'll take responsibility— "

"I'm not worried about that!" M'gann exclaimed, "What if one of the leaguers come while you're gone?"

I blinked, "Batman knows about Mrs. O'Leary…"

"But he doesn't know about Raven." Superboy spoke up, causing my eyes to widen, "We kind of never got around to telling him. I doubt Robin told him either. when He learns we brought an unknown into the cave, he won't be happy. No offense." He added that last part for Raven, who just shrugged in indifference.

I rubbed my temples in annoyance, "Alright… if he does show up before I get back just say it was my idea."

"But you were unconscious when we brought her in," M'gann said hesitantly, he'll want to know the full story…"

"Plus you've taken the heat for us more than enough times by now." Superboy said with determination, "If he or anyone else shows up, I'll take responsibility."

M'gann frowned at that, "W-well in that case I will too."

I sighed as the two then began a small argument about who would take the "blame" Until I finally said, "Guys! Just do it together. Besides I doubt either of you will get in trouble, Batman's really not that much of a hard ass."

That was met with several looks of "are you sure", as apparently, I was the only one that thought that. Even Raven had a skeptical look. Eventually I just gave up and left the room without a word, dragging Tyson with me.

When we left the room, He whispered, "I didn't know we were patrolling today…"

I chuckled softly, "We weren't. But if she just leaves there's a good chance we'll never see her again, and I have a suspicion I want to confirm before that happens. Do you trust me?"

He seemed offended by the question, "Always brother!"

We quickly got dressed in our alter egos. I was pleased to find that M'gann was kind enough to repair my tentacles, specifically the ones that got ripped in my fight with Mrs. O'Leary. Tyson once again pulled on his home-made jump suit attire. I've considered asking him if he wanted a more… professional looking suit, but decided against it. He only wears the suit to fit the "superhero" theme, as the cloth covering his face did little to distract from his singular eyeball, and he was practically indestructible to anything other than my sword.

We exited our room to find Raven waiting for us in the hall. I gave her a questioning look, to which she answered, "M'gann was awkward, and Superboy was quieter than me."

I sighed, "Fair enough. We were planning on taking the teleporter to Manhattan and using our own means from there. You ready?"

She nodded quickly and followed us to the teleporter room. As we walked I could feel her eyes boring into my back. Without warning I looked back at her only for her eyes to snap forward like nothing happened. I restrained a smirk before turning back forward. "So, have you ever been on patrol before?"

"Not really," she responded, "I help if I happen upon someone needing it, but usually trouble finds me first."

Tyson chuckled, "That sounds like Percy!"

I smiled back at her, "Just follow our lead then, and let me know when you're ready for lunch… wait did you eat breakfast?"

She nodded, "I had something in my room. I'm fine for now."

"Alright then." I turned to look forward, "Let's get started."

 **Later**

Patrol went even better than I thought it did. As soon as we arrived in Manhattan, we briefed Raven about Tyson's super senses and let him lead us towards the bad guys. I had left Blackjack behind this time, choosing instead to either walk, run, or traverse with my tentacles, which I could use to launch and crawl my way around the city at speeds that astounded even me, though I quickly noticed that it creeped out any civilians that saw it, and I couldn't blame them. I decided to save it for chasing the bad guys if I could.

Raven eventually offered to lift Tyson and I up with her shadow constructs, and started flying us to our destinations. It was much more efficient, though I had to struggle to keep my breakfast down, as being in the air without blackjack was still a bit of an ordeal for me.

We made quick work of any criminals we came across, though I was a bit more cautious when up against gunmen. Technically I'm pretty sure gods can't get hurt by bullets, but with all the uncertainty surrounding my deification, I wasn't going to chance it, and risk leaving more ichor around for anyone to find. I made good use of my shield and tentacles, which proved their bullet proof nature. They were also useful for cocooning any victims to keep them safe during the fight from any stray bullets.

Raven made all the fights much quicker, with her ability to take on several people at once with her constructs. I was a little worried at first about what she would do against bullets, but I soon stopped as she dodged most with her agile flying and blocking the rest with smaller tendrils of shadow emerging from her cloak.

We went on like this for several hours, managing to help dozens of people across the city. Some thanked us, a few even recognizing me from TV and thanking me by name, though most were still cautious of Raven, and most had no idea what to think of Raven.

There was one encounter that stuck with me. We were flying over the upper East side when Tyson suddenly called out, "STOP! Go down!"

Raven was startled at first but complied, setting us down on the sidewalk, where Tyson bolted forward. I followed his trajectory to see a middle aged man and a small blonde girl, looking to be around 8 or 9. I wasn't sure what the issue was, but didn't have time to figure it out as Tyson slammed into the man from the side, grabbing him by the throat and holding him by the throat away from the girl.

Raven and I looked at each other in alarm before bolting forwards as well.

"T! Slow down, what's going on."

We arrived next to the girl who looked to be trembling, as my brother held the terrified man aloft, with a look of hatred I'd hope never to see on Tyson's face again. In response to my question he growled out, "He's not her father."

I looked at him blankly, "Okay, I'm assuming you got that from the smell?" he nodded, "That doesn't mean anything! He could just be a family friend!" Tyson didn't move however.

I was about to say more when he spat out, "She's not the first, I can smell… others."

I was uncertain what he meant at first, before realization threatened to turn my insides out. I forced myself not to vomit as I heard Raven speak softly, "Perseus…"

I turned to see her awkwardly comforting the girl, who had a steady stream of tears and snot coming down her face, "I-I was looking for my m-mom! He said h-he would hurt me if I c-called for help!" As the girl sobbed loudly, Raven looked very out of place as she hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. She went stiff as the girl took it as an invitation to bury her face in her shoulder, holding her close for comfort.

I turned back to see Tyson trembling with rage as he started at the man in his grasp. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what he was thinking, "T, put him down."

Tyson snapped his eyes towards me in anger, "But he— "

"I know!" I snapped back, "I want to as well, but we do, we'll lose the trust of the league, and you'll be even more feared than you already are. Do you want that?"

Tyson still looked angry, but I could see the gears turning in his head. eventually he gave a furious roar and gave the man a light tap, putting him out like a light, before dropping him on the ground in disgust.

He turned back to me as I walked up to him. He had his eyes closed and was taking deep breaths to calm down, while I patted him on the shoulder for his self-control. His eyes opened however when he felt the blonde girl tackle him in a hug.

He looked down in shock as he she craned her neck to say, "Thank you! I was so scared!"

I had to snap in front of his face to get him out of his shock. He shook his head and smile down at her, "It was nothing! Just don't hesitate to call for help if someone's close okay? Even if he says he'll hurt you."

She sniffed pitifully, "Okay…"

I knelt down next to her, "Hey, why don't we take you to the police so we can find your mom. is that okay?"

The girl nodded, so I gave her a smile, "Okay, before we go, can you tell me you name?"

She seemed hesitant, looking up at Tyson for some reason for reassurance. He wasn't sure what to do so settled on giving her a smile and a thumb up. She looked back at me and said, "My name is… Cassie."

Cassie refused to leave Tyson's side the entire way to the police station. This caused some issue when the officers saw Tyson walk in with a little girl by his side, but I managed to calm the situation before it got out of hand. That combined with Cassie's testimony was enough to warrant several apologies to Tyson, who of course forgave them instantly.

We left shortly after, though Cassie didn't seem happy about it, and decided it was a good time to get lunch.

When Raven asked where we were going to eat, I simply smirked at her and gave Tyson a nod. He instantly drew in a huge breath through his nostrils, before pointing where we needed to go.

I had a few favorite places in my New York, but seeing as this was an entirely different one, I decided to rely on Tyson to find a good place, and boy did it pay off. He led us to a small restaurant, tucked neatly between two larger buildings. It was called _Puzzles_ , for reasons I could not figure out, but it housed by far the best burger I had ever eaten.

So there we were, quite the odd sight, a trio of superheroes quietly eating in a small diner. The employees were nervous at first, but eventually came down after I had paid for our meal with money Batman had allotted me.

Tyson was happily munching on a huge burger filled with every meat imaginable, per his request, while Raven was silently eating her fries, having not touched her much smaller cheeseburger.

I had been busy basking in the glory of my own burger, which happened to be the restaurants special, and included a patty, bacon, white cheddar, garlic sauce, lettuce tomatoes, and a slew of other ingredients I couldn't name but loved dearly. It was only when I was halfway through that I noticed Raven's lack of appetite, "Are you okay?"

She seemed to have been deep in thought, because she jumped at my words, "Oh! Uh, yeah sorry. I was distracted." She then started to eat her burger, and by the looks of it seemed surprised by how much she enjoyed the taste, though she still seemed to be taking her time to swallow each time.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to," I told her, "I won't be offended."

She tensed, "No! I'll eat it, I don't have a problem with it I'm just… having trouble stomaching anything after…"

I quickly realized she was talking about Cassie and slapped myself mentally for not remembering that not everyone could get over stuff like that as fast as me, or have a stomach as strong as Tyson's. I decided to change the subject, as well as bring up what I wanted to from the start, "So, I'm guessing you'll be going home after this?"

She looked at me in confusion for a moment before her eyes widened, "Right! Yes, I will be going home."

I raised an eyebrow but continued on, "And if you don't mind me asking, whereabouts do you live exactly?"

She eyed me cautiously, "Why do you want to know?"

I kept my poker face strong, "As grateful as I am for what you did with Mrs. O'Leary, I think we can both agree the belt is a temporary solution. If something happens I may need to come to you for help, or vice versa. It would make things a lot easier if I had a general idea of where to look."

She stared at me for several moments, no doubt formulating her next words very carefully, "I… live around… California."

I tried my best to hold it in, but I failed. I snorted loudly, "Really? That's the best you could come up with?"

Raven slumped in her seat, a look almost akin to pouting on her face, "How did you know?"

I smirked, "How did I know what?"

She gave me a sharp look but played along, "That I was homeless."

"Simple. I've met dozens of homeless kids over the years. A lot of demigods end up on the streets for one reason or another. You remind me of them. You have the same… aura if you will."

Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow, "I thought I was the mystic one here."

Tyson nearly spewed his hamburger all over us trying to contain his laughter, and I couldn't help but chuckle myself, "I never said I was psychic, that's why I wanted to be sure. You know you don't have to be alone, I'm sure I could convince the League to let you stay at Mount Justice."

Just like that the walls were back up and she was sitting stiffer than before. "That's a bad idea."

"Why?"

She allowed her stoic nature to drop just enough to give me a dark look. "Something bad happens when I stay in one place for too long."

I leaned back. "Welcome to the club sister. In my world monsters can sniff demigod blood from a mile away, they kept finding me. I can't even tell you how many schools I've been expelled from, how many monuments have been destroyed because of it. Trouble follows you, I know the feeling. And Tyson here knows what it's like to be on your own."

Raven looked over at the cyclops, who was frozen mid chew as we were suddenly looking at him. I coughed meaningfully, and he shut his mouth and swallowed before nodding, "R-right! Before I found Percy, I was living in a cardboard box. Mean monsters bullied me all the time… but then I found Percy and my life got way better!"

I nodded as Raven's eyes were a bit softer, but not by much, "And between you and me: I think M'gann would appreciate having another girl around. Not that she feels threatened by us… I think… but being the only girl in a cave full of guys has to get lonely at some point."

Raven sighed, "I get what you're saying, and I appreciate the offer but— "

"Tell you what." I cut her off, "When "trouble" does come, and I do believe it will, think of how much easier it will be to deal with a group of super powered friends backing you up."

She looked away slightly, "Or it will just get you hurt."

I sighed in annoyance, "Raven we're heroes, getting hurt is an occupational hazard. This could be your best chance at having a place to be comfortable, or at least comfortabler, I don't know where you've been sleeping— "

"Motels."

"More comfortable! Plus you'd have a chance to study Mrs. O'Leary— "

I had a whole list after that, but judging by the light in her eye I didn't need it. "Oh, looks like that got your attention. You could study Mrs. O'Leary, Tyson, even me, to a point."

Raven huffed, "If… if I come back, it will only be on a trial basis. If I decide it's a bad idea, I will leave, and you won't stop me, agreed?"

I smiled and held out my hand, "Agreed."

She hesitantly took my hand and we sealed the deal with handshake.

Before we released our grips, a waitress slowly approached our table, eyeing Tyson warily, before gathering her courage and speaking up, "E-excuse me? Perseus, is it?"

I looked at her as I let go of Raven, "Yes?"

She gulped, "I-I was wondering if you would mind taking a picture with us to hang up in the store, and maybe on our website. If—I mean when you gain more popularity as a hero, it will really help our business. Of course, I totally understand if you don't want— "

I chuckled, "It's fine, we can do that. Right T?"

Tyson nodded eagerly and smiled at the waitress, "This is my new favorite restaurant! I'd be happy to help out!"

She smiled nervously, "G-Great! This way then."

I smirked at Raven one more time before getting up with Tyson to take a picture with the owner under their store sign.

Tyson gave his signature toothy grin while I gave a smile of my own. The two of us stood on either side of the owner, towering over her with our height, and giving a thumb up.

Before the camera flashed, I glanced back one more time at Raven, still sitting at our table inside the store, watching us closely. She looked away when our eyes met, but for some reason, I couldn't help but smile a bit wider.

Third Person POV

The next few weeks were fairly uneventful. Batman did not put up as much of a fight as many thought he would when Percy requested that Raven be provided lodging in Mount Justice. Before he said anything, he demanded as much information about her as possible, and was less than pleased when she refused to explain her origin, or why she could do the thing she could, but reluctantly let it go when Percy promised to take responsibility for her.

Raven was a bit annoyed when she learned this, not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble, but the others made it clear that it was pretty common thing for Percy, and to not worry about it too much.

The team as a whole took their new member in with open arms. M'gann especially was thrilled to have another female in the cave, though Raven didn't share her enthusiasm when the Martian started rambling about all the fun they will have trying clothes, talking about boys, and a slew of other girl-bonding clichés that sounded like they came from a cheesy sitcom.

Artemis was happy as well, also claiming that it was good to have another girl on the team, though she wasn't as eager to get to know the new teammate as M'gann was. Raven was completely fine with that.

Kaldur was eager to discuss sorcery with the girl, wondering who her master was. He was fascinated when she revealed she was mostly self-taught, with some input from various teachers she's met in her travels. She made it clear that while she knew a lot, she didn't have a lot of practice with applying all that she's learned, instead collecting information about techniques and spells in a journal she kept so she could refer to it if the situation required it. Raven was more than happy to get into long conversations with Kaldur about the mystic arts, but under no circumstances allowed him, or any other person access to her journal.

Wally was probably the least friendly to her. he wasn't outright rude to her, but he made it very clear that he didn't trust her. this might have had something to do with the embarrassment he experienced upon his first encounter with her, though the embarrassment was Percy's doing. Ever since then he hadn't flirted with M'gann, Raven, or Artemis. He barely even cracked jokes anymore.

Robin was friendlier than Wally, and actively tried to connect with her, but anyone who looked close enough could tell he was watching her closely, though that was no surprise from the mentee of the most paranoid hero in the League. Superboy and her had some sort of unspoken understanding, after five minutes of staring at each other blankly. They had no issue with each other.

Tyson was happy to have her around, though they rarely conversed or hung out. Anyone could see that his was not from any ill will, but because of the vast difference between their personalities and interests. The one who was most happy to have her there though, had to Mrs. O'Leary.

The hellhound had practically claimed her as her mother, spending half of her time with the gloomy girl, and the other half with Percy and Tyson, who couldn't help but be a little put out by this, but didn't really mind. With her new size changing ability, the hellhound had a much easier time of pouncing and licking on whomever she pleased, which was quite distracting. Raven took it better than most, but then again, she didn't really complain about anything, or praise much.

Raven made sure to use her time with the Hellhound to study her physiology. So far, she hasn't learned anything mind blowing, to the others at least, but occasionally one could come across her writing frantically in her journal about a new aspect of the creature that adopted her. She seemed especially interested in investigating her shadow travel ability.

Speaking of which, ever since they found her, the hellhound had displayed a new degree of endurance when it came to shadow traveling, now able to take dozens of trips without getting tired, something that caused no shortage of chaos. Raven quickly deduced that this was because of the ichor in her. She was also kind enough to place a spell on the belt regulating her power output, so that it would shrink and grow with the hellhound so it wouldn't hang loosely when she was in her smaller size.

Percy also submitted to some experiments with Raven, which really consisted of him ordering Mrs. O'Leary around, to see how their connection worked. She did every action he told her too, save for flying in the air, and biting his hand, much to his surprise, and delight, both because it showed her devotion to him, and that he wasn't completely mind controlling her, which had left a bad taste in his mouth. He also gave her a sample of ichor like he did Robin and Wally, which she received with a look of awe, which made him a bit uncomfortable.

Aside from the occasional patrol in Manhattan, and passing each other in the halls, that was about all the time Percy spent with Raven, or anyone else for the most part. There were meals together, and the occasional planned hang out, but usually Percy was in the lower cave, working on his ship. He was happy to find that he had instinctual knowledge of ship building, and rarely needed help from anyone, except for Tyson for the occasional tool he was missing.

This had become the hobby he never knew he wanted. Working the ship, refining the eroded wood, replacing the parts beyond repair, and building new pieces where they were missing, all came to be very relaxing for the team leader, and he found himself doing it every chance he got.

Of course, that came up to a couple hours every morning and afternoon. Since he wasn't as crazy skilled with building as Tyson, he had only made it about halfway complete in the last few weeks. Most of his days aside from the ship was spent patrolling Manhattan, sometimes with Tyson, sometimes not. He didn't really have a talent for investigating and taking down the "big operations" like batman and Robin did, which was fine for now, as he was just starting out. He made up for it by the sheer number of crimes he intervened in, getting around the city with speed and efficiency on Blackjack.

The pegasus had met Raven as well, but quickly decided he wasn't as big a fan as Mrs. O'Leary. _She creeps me out!_ Was his constant excuse, though it wasn't that big an issue.

There hadn't been many team missions aside from the occasional gang bust. So life fell into a sort of lull for everyone, that is, until August 17th came around.

"A birthday party?" Robin asked, "For who?"

"For Percy of course!" The Martian exclaimed, surprising most of the teens surrounding her. they were currently seated in the living room, the entire team except for Tyson and Percy. There was a collective sigh of exasperation from those who didn't reside in the cave, as they were dressed in their costumes, since M'gann summoned them saying that it was super urgent. They of course expected some form of danger, not this.

"You know you could of just said that in the text." Artemis huffed in annoyance, "We would have come."

"Eh," Robin said, "I might have found something better to do. No offense."

M'gann gestured to Robin as she looked at Artemis, "See! I had no choice. You all are a bunch of workaholics!"

"Not true!" Wally protested, "We're just busy. Anyways, how do you even know it's his birthday?"

"Didn't she look into his head at some point," Raven spoke up, causing a few to flinch, as her presence tended to blend in to the background noise.

Wally hummed, "Oh yeah."

"Then how do you know he even _wants_ a party?" Robin asked.

M'gann looked at him in disbelief, "Who in their right mind wouldn't want a party?"

Superboy raised his hand, but M'gann waved him off, "You don't have a say, you haven't had a chance to experience one yet."

"Are you certain of what age he is turning?" Kaldur asked.

M'gann had a moment of hesitation before she answered, "17. He turns 17 tomorrow. So, I think we should all throw him a party!"

The way she said, "I think" made it clear to everyone in the room that she meant "I declare", leaving no room for argument. Of course, none of them really had a problem with it, and agreed, causing the Martian to squeal in excitement."

"Why isn't Tyson here?" Superboy wondered aloud, "I'm guessing he knows about it."

M'gann nodded, "We already made a plan for him to keep Percy out of the way while we set everything up. He also told me to say that gifts aren't really important to Percy, so don't feel pressured to get him one. But of course, we all are going to get him one, anyways right?"

There were mixed responses, some saying "of course" while others like Superboy brought up that they only had a day's notice for this. Their thoughts were quelled by a very uncharacteristic glare from M'gann, that shut them up quickly.

M'gann smiled and clasped her hands, "Perfect! I'll bake the cake, Superboy and Raven will do decorations," she ignored the protests, "And the rest of you will bring food and show up at 10 sharp. Agreed?"

Everyone agreed, whether they wanted to or not, and they split up to get to work.

The next day, Percy woke up to a smiling Tyson looking down at him. Now, him being used to this, he simply yawned and said, "Morning Tyson."

"Good morning!" Tyson exclaimed cheerfully. "Do you want to come to the forge with me?"

Percy raised an eyebrow before sitting up to look at the Cyclops, "You know I don't mind, but what for? I doubt you'd need my help with anything."

Tyson didn't even blink. "Normally I wouldn't, but this is different! Come on!"

Without even giving him time to put on a shirt, Tyson lifted Percy up and carried him out of the room, much to the gods surprise. "Tyson!? What are you doing, put me down!"

Tyson ignored his protests and continued his mission without a word. He rushed through the halls and brought his older brother down to the forge. Only when they were down there did he release him, setting him down carefully, which only worsened Percy's mood, as he felt like he was being handled like a porcelain doll or something.

Still a bit asleep, he swatted away Tyson's hands away and growled out, "Dude what's your problem! I can walk on my own!"

Tyson smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I was just excited to give you your present. Happy birthday!"

Percy blinked, "What?"

Tyson beamed, "It's your Birthday brother! August 18th!"

Percy seemed confused for a second before realization struck, "Oh yeah… I totally forgot."

Tyson patted him on the shoulder, "That's alright, I remembered for you. Now come on, let me show you the present."

He turned Percy around towards the forging area. While he did so, Percy sighed, "Dude you didn't have to do any—"He stopped when he saw what, and who, was standing behind him.

The lava pit was currently open, and sticking out of it was a hunk of metal that I recognized as the Tiber metal, it was currently glowing with heat, and standing next to the pit, was Raven. Raven was dressed in more casual clothing, as she often did around the Mountain, trading in her cloak and leotard for skinny jeans and a black tank top that had a weird skull with makeup design, that reminded Percy of Thalia's death to Barbie shirt a little too much. She greeted him with a simple, "Hey."

Percy walked forward cautiously, "Hey… what is all this?"

"Tyson's idea mostly," She answered, before her eyes flicked up and down, "No shirt?"

Percy felt his face heat up before he looked over at Tyson with a glare, "Apparently not."

Tyson chuckled nervously, "Sorry. I'll go get you one while you do this."

Percy raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what "this" is, but Tyson was already taking off, "Hey wait! What are we—and he's gone." Percy sighed again before turning back to Raven, mind explaining what's going on?"

"A birthday gift," she stated, "From me and Tyson, if it works that is. This is actually an experiment, but when I brought it up Tyson insisted that we do it. If it doesn't work I'll probably just get you a gift card or something and he'll…"

"Go crazy trying to make something else.?" I guessed, earning a nod from her. I rubbed my forehead, "Yeah that figures. So, I'm guessing it has something to do with the giant metal hunk sticking out of the lava."

She nodded as I walked forward, "It was really a last-minute idea, as most of—well I didn't know it was your birthday today until yesterday, so I was looking for gift ideas. Tyson mentioned you were wanting a new weapon that could… touch mortals."

I raised an eyebrow, "And? I figured he'd just forge one when he was ready."

"He said that was his plan, but that he couldn't decide on what to make. Apparently, a copy of your current sword would be too easy or something. So I suggested we try this."

I rolled my eyes, "And this is?"

She held out a hand, indicating that I should give her mine. I reluctantly did so, only to regret it as she produced a needle and stabbed into my hand, withdrawing an ichor covered blade.

I swore loudly in ancient Greek, more out of surprise than pain, before glaring at he, "What was that for?"

"This." She then flicked the needle at the metal, causing specs of ichor to fly onto the glowing hunk, before sizzling and disappearing into it."

I looked on in confusion, "What was that supposed to accomplish?"

She shrugged, "It's just a theory I was working on. More of an idea really. Seeing the connection your ichor formed between you and Mrs. O'Leary. I wondered if connections like that could be made with other things, inanimate or otherwise. This will be the first test to see. Also, Tyson worked pretty hard gathering this much of the metal into one piece, just thought you should know."

Percy filed that away for later, but couldn't help but ask. "So, for all we know nothing could happen?" Percy asked, before realizing Raven was no longer listening, instead she was staring at the metal in fascination, "What is it?"

She looked at him, "There's definitely a reaction, but it's strange, almost like… hold on."

She closed her eyes her body went limp, forcing Percy to have to catch her before she hit the ground, as her shadowy raven form flew out of her and inspected the rock. Percy regarded the spectral form in annoyance, "Could have warned me."

The bird like form answered, "Sorry, I was in a hurry, thanks for catching me though."

Percy rolled his eyes and set her body down , "What are you doing anyway?"

"The ichor is trying to make a connection, but it's unfocused, wild even. It needs help. I think if I…" a tendril of shadow extended form the avian form, and reached into the hunk of metal, before another tendril extended towards Percy, reaching into his chest without warning, and startling him greatly, though he felt nothing.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He exclaimed.

"Trying… to make the connection." Raven replied, though her voice sounded strained.

Percy noticed this, "Are you alright."

"I'm fine, it's just a strange sensation, both the connection flowing through me and… the enormous amount of power coming from the Ichor in your body. I just don't understand why you can't use all that power, it's such a waste."

Percy wasn't sure what to say to that, but luckily, he didn't have to, "Done." Raven declared before rescinding her tendrils and returning to her body.:

She sat up and shook her head a bit, before looking to Percy. "It's done."

He looked at her in disbelief, "The "connection" you mean? No offense but what will being connected to a hunk of rock do for me?"

Before she could respond a large _crack_ forced him to look at said hunk of rock. Before their eyes the metal was breaking, shifting, cracking, and changing. Raven allowed herself a smirk as she answered, "That. Your ichor is forcing the metal to take a shape most suited to you. either that or it's about to explode."

"What?!" Percy exclaimed

"Kidding." Raven stated calmly, once again keeping her stoic face firm, "You should lighten up. It's your birthday after all." She then started to walk towards the stairway.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked, "I mean, thank you, this seems pretty cool and all, but shouldn't we see this through?"

She shrugged, "It could take, hours, minutes, even days before it sorts itself out, there's no way to tell. I think we'd be better suited to go find something else to do in the meantime. Maybe there's something to do upstairs?"

Percy could only stare at her and her dead giveaway that there was another surprise waiting for him upstairs. If she realized her blunder she didn't show it, only staring at him blankly. Eventually he sighed and said, "Okay."

While all this was happening, Tyson had gone up to check on the others, who were setting up the decorations in the common area. There was an unspoken consensus that the theme was blue, so there were blue balloons, blue streamers, and a chocolate cake with blue icing on the kitchen table that M'gann putting the finishing touches to. She had gotten a package of number shaped candles, and had placed them so it said 17.

Superboy was arranging the presents the others had brought in, on orders from M'gann, while the others sort wandered around awkwardly, looking for ways to help, and picking at the blue cookies M'gann set out when she wasn't looking. They were all in civilian clothing, though some were dressed nicer than others, (Artemis). Mrs. O'Leary for her part was doing a good job of restraining herself form snacking on the food strewn about, instead making up for it by forcing everyone to pet her in her small form, while she eyed the food hungrily.

Overall it was pretty impressive that they had all managed get presents on such short notice. The size of the packages ranged from hand sized to not being able to fit on the table.

When Tyson arrived, he took a moment to admire the pile of presents that had been accumulated, "Guys! I told you just showing up would be enough…"

Wally snorted, "We know, but that's not how birthdays work around here! If he doesn't like the presents he can just re gift them, but I'm feeling pretty confident about mine."

"As am I." Kaldur smiled, "This should be a most enjoyable day for Percy."

Tyson was gradually building up excitement as he looked over what had been put together, before his eye landed on the cake, "M'gann? Why does it say 17?"

M'gann who had been cleaning up in the kitchen, froze at his words, while the others were confused. "I thought that was his age today…" Robin wondered aloud, while the others nodded in agreement.

Tyson looked confused as well before he realized, "M'gann didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Artemis asked, with a bit of concern in her voice, meanwhile M'gann hadn't moved or even turned to look at the others while Tyson explained.

"There is a place in our universe called Tartarus. it's where gods and monsters go to reform their bodies after they're destroyed. It's not a nice place. Time there is different, a few moments can seem like months there. Percy spent about two weeks there physically, but mentally— "

"So, wait," Wally interrupted, the horrific realization that was creeping into everyone's hearts, making itself evident in his tone, "How old _is_ he then?"

Tyson hesitated for a moment, apparently counting in his head and fingers, before walking over to the bag of number candles and drawing out a five. He then adjusted the two on the cake so it read: 157.

The others looked at the number in silence, struggling to process that their leader who only looked a couple years older than them was over a century old. Eventually Kaldur realized something, "M'gann, you must have known this, why did you…" He trailed off as he saw her form trembling.

Tyson rushed over to her and put his hands on her shoulders worriedly as she burst in to tears. She turned to the others with tears streaming and looked like she wanted to something, but Tyson spoke first, "Percy's time in Tartarus mostly consisted of… pain. I only know what he's told me, but M'gann was in his head, so you saw right?" M'gann looked up at the Cyclops in confusion, but nodded when she saw his caring expression. She broke down once more and latched on to him in an embrace.

Many of the others were both disturbed and confused at this point. Tyson looked at them and explained, "I think she didn't want to remind him of that time." He then looked down at her, "I appreciate the thought, I hadn't even considered it, but brother has always faced things head on. I don't think he will feel any better from avoiding it."

M'gann sniffed miserably as she tried to pull herself together. Artemis rushed forward and threw an arm around her leading her away to comfort her, but not before M'gann gave Tyson one more look of apology, which he answered with a forgiving smile."

While she was led out of the room, the guys all looked at her stunned. When she was gone they all had similar thoughts, which Robin voiced, "Was… was what Percy went through really that bad?"

Tyson's eyes darkened, "You've seen his scars. From what I can tell, those only tell a fraction of the story."

That put everyone in a somber mood, made worse by the fact that they'd never seen Tyson get so serious before. They stayed silent for a few moments, before Tyson perked up, his eyes shining again as if the previous conversation never happened, "He's coming! Places! SB can you go see if M'gann is okay?"

Percy finished putting on his shirt before exiting his room where Raven was waiting for him. "Alright. Let's go." She nodded and led him through the halls. After a few moments Percy spoke up again, "By the way, this is totally going to be a surprise part, right?"

Raven looked at him blankly, giving nothing away, "Whatever do you mean?"

He only chuckled until he followed her. as they walked through the doors to the living room, they were greeted by all of their teammates jumping up and yelling, "Happy birthday Percy!"

Though he was expecting it, seeing it for real still brought a smile to his face. He couldn't help it his last few dozen birthdays had been celebrated by extra special torture. He looked around the room, admiring the decorations, and noticed the cake, and the appropriate number adorning it. He simply nodded and turned to the others, "Guys! You shouldn't ha—M'gann? Are you okay?"

He had noticed that her eyes were a bit red, like she'd been crying. When he called her out, she stiffened but smiled widely, "I'm fine! I've just been cooking all day is all."

Percy wasn't entirely convinced, but judging from the looks on everyone else's faces, he decided not to push it, "Okay… well since it's all here, let's get this party started!"

There was a chorus of cheers at that, and Wally went and turned on some music to keep the mood festive. Percy's first prerogative was to get some of the cookies sitting on the table. He had almost taken a bite of one when a sound made everyone tense up.

"RECOGNIZED: WONDERWOMAN."

Percy looked at the others, wondering if this was maybe part of the celebration, but quickly discerned that it wasn't. he sighed loudly and led the way towards the teleporter room, where they found the demigoddess waiting a bit impatiently, dressed in her signature armor. When she saw Percy, she straightened up and regarded him sternly, "Perseus Jackson, it is time to bring you before the gods."

There were a variety of expressions adorning the team, some shocked, some angered, some just confused, but Percy simply had a look of annoyance as he groaned loudly, "Fucking… alright let me just wrap up those cookies to go."

 **Chapter 10!**

 **Next time: Percy meets the gods of the DC universe. Who just HAD to interrupt his birthday party! Fucking deities am I right?**

 **Unfortunately I'm taking a break from this to write some chapters for Grimm Royalty, which is a RWBY fic, so if you like that show you might want to give it a look. I'll probably be back to this in around a month or so. Maybe sooner maybe later.**


	11. Chapter 11

Percy POV

I sat next to Tyson at the kitchen bar, lazily nibbling on some cookies in my party hat. in the background could be heard a furious debate between my team and Wonder Woman.

"It just isn't fair!" Wally exclaimed, loudly "You can't at least call ahead or something?"

The Amazon stood firmly with her hands on her hips, "I do not decide when he is summoned, the gods do. I am merely enacting their will." She shot me an apologetic look, "If I had known you would be in the middle of a celebration I would have tried to come later."

I shrugged, "Don't sweat it. I'm used to it. My sixteenth birthday was spent fighting a war for the gods, I know how pushy they can be."

She only nodded, but the others still weren't' happy.

I was especially surprised when M'gann spoke up against the leaguer, She kept her voice barely below a yell "Do you have any idea what Percy's been through?"

Wonder Woman frowned, "I have a general idea."

"Then you should know that he deserves to have a day to celebrate his birthday," Robin growled, "Tell me, does Batman know you're here right now?"

The Amazon huffed in annoyance, "No. Why should he? This doesn't concern him."

Robin smirked before bringing a communication deice up from behind his back, "Well he does now."

For a moment, here was a flicker of concern in Diana's eyes. A moment later, the notification sounded, "RECOGNIZED: BATMAN"

I was surprised he got here so quickly. He must have been having a slow day. He strode forward with purpose, before stopping as he saw the situation. he looked at Robin curiously, "Why did you contact me? There doesn't seem to be a threat."

Robin rolled his eyes before pointing at Diana, "She's trying to crash Percy's party by dragging him to Themyscira!"

Batman stared at his protégé for like five minutes before rubbing his forehead, "I think I need to reeducate you on what consists of an "emergency"."

"Indeed," Diana agreed, "I'm sorry you were brought into this Batman. I don't suppose you could help me convince them to stop being so troublesome?"

He glanced over at her "I know you Amazons don't really celebrate Birthdays, but do you think he could at least have this day? God knowns he deserves it."

Everyone in the room looked at Batman in surprise, not expecting the coldest member of the League to come to their aid, while Robin only smirked triumphantly.

Diana looked at her Teammate in bewilderment, before sighing "God may know that, but the _gods_ do not. They expect me to bring him forth by noon. It is not my place to change their minds."

I chuckled at that, causing Batman to look at me, "You don't seem overly disappointed."

Artemis huffed, "Yeah what's up with that? We're trying to help you and you're just sitting there.

I smiled without joy, "Oh trust me, I am. Like I said before, I'm just used to it by now. I do wish I could hang out with the others more though, before I get potentially smited."

That caused everyone in the room to tense up, before Raven asked, "You think they'll kill you?"

I shrugged, "They might try. The gods of my world contemplated killing me on more than one occasion, and a couple even tried. If worst comes to worse it could turn into a fight, in which case…"

Diana RAISED AN EYBROW NOW, "You dare to think you could challenge a god of Olympus?"

I rolled my eyes, "Maybe? It's been a while but I've fought some pretty strong enemies in my time and killed a few. Plus, I'm not even sure if they can kill me. though they might find some other way to mess with me…" Tyson HUMMED SADLY BESIDE ME, KNOWING I WAS RIGHT, "….we'll just have to see."

At that even Diana was a bit disturbed, now finding it difficult to look at me. it was silent until Kaldur finally spoke up, "Perhaps… we could come with you?"

"NO." Both leaguers stated firmly, but no one seemed to acknowledge them.

"That's a great idea!" , M'gann exclaimed, "We can bring the presents and the cake and have the party there!"

Superboy nodded "Plus we could be there to back him up in case

Wonder Woman RUBBED HER FORHEAD WITH A Sigh, "Not happening. My home isn't some resort you can go to whenever you want. Only those with an invitation can come, and only Percy has one out of all of you. Now, Perseus, can we please go now?"

To be honest, I might have said yes, cause i could understand the problems I was making, but then she had to ruin it by calling me Perseus, I told them not to call me that in private. "Actually, I like their idea. If they don't go i don't go."

That elicited a round of slightly stifled cheers and some strained expressions from the older Heroes. "Percy, be reasonable?"

"Na, it's my birthday so I don't have to." I responded, knowing full well I was being a bit bratty but not caring in the slightest. I let the gods walk all over me in my last world, I want this one to be different. Sue me.

Diana glared at me, "I can't simply invite whoever I want to my home! I have to consult my mother first!

I shrugged, "I'm sure she'll understand when she learns I forced you to. Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for it.

She calmed down a bit, but still seemed unhappy. She glanced at my friends, before settling on Raven, who was the quietest of the group, "I more or less know most of you, but she's entirely new, and not even you know her origin. You expect me to bring someone like that to my sacred island?"

I nodded, not even blinking, "Yep."

Raven sighed, "Percy, it's fine I can just stay behind and— "

"Nope." I cut her off, not breaking eye contact with the Amazon. I knew she was the one to convince, Batman had no real say in the matter, and he's learned by now that his bat glares don't work on me. "Tell me Diana, what will the Gods think when you come back empty handed?"

She paled a bit at that and I knew I had her. She gave a heavy sigh, causing Batman to look at her in irritation, "Diana, you know this is— "

"My only option." She looked at him irritated. "I have no choice."

He stared at her for a few moments, before relenting, "Fine. But will you come with me for a moment so we can discuss how you will deal with _that_ in private?"

She nodded immediately, and followed them towards the portal. She looked back at me with narrowed eyes, "I will return very soon Perseus, your teammates may accompany you, but as price for that, we will not only bring you before the gods but assess you."

I raised an eyebrow, "Assess? Like a test?"

She chuckled, "Indeed, you will be put throuh the trials all of our warriors must complete before she can be considered a true Amazon. I hope you are ready."

I could only smirk, "Bring it on."

The trip to Themyscira was more or less uneventful. Apparently, the Amazons didn't have a teleporter room, so we had to fly there. Wonder Woman led the way, flying somehow on her own power. I followed close behind on Blackjack. I was curious if Diana would have anything to say when I summoned the pegasus, but she simply hummed with slight interest before flying away. Mrs. O'Leary was not at all happy that we were leaving her behind, but I wasn't too worried. I intended to try and summon her when we arrived, it would be a good test to see if my control over her worked over long distances, plus it would be a good way to tick the amazons off. Oh gods…. I really am an infuriating entity, aren't I? no wonder everyone wanted to kill me.

M'gann flew the others on her ship, though when she asked Raven to board, she refused, deciding to fly next to me with her own power instead. It was a bit strange to see her flying in her normal clothes however, as she normally had her cloak billowing behind her.

Once we were well into the journey, flying over the ocean to wherever the island was, I guided Blackjack closer next to the cloaked girl, "Hey."

She glanced at me impassively, "Hey.'

"Why didn't you want to ride in the ship? Doesn't this require energy or something?"

She shrugged, "Not a lot?"

"It's still more than if you would just sit in the ship. You don't have to be a loner all the time you know?"

She rolled her eyes, "It's not that. After what happened, emotions are running pretty high right now. It would be a bit unpleasant for me."

I raised an eyebrow, "I thought you've learned to deal with that. Moreover, how am I any better in that regard?"

She looked at me in surprise, before quickly explaining, "It's… easier to block out one person than multiple people, no matter the… intensity of the emotion."

I hummed, not at all convinced, but I knew better than to keep pushing. Instead I asked, "Any more progress with Mrs. O'Leary?"

She seemed to consider for a moment before answering "Yes actually. It's about the connection between her in your blood."

I looked at her with interest. "Really?"

She nodded, "Yes. It seems that she was… Uniquely suited to take the blood into herself, it's why she survived for as long as she did. If a regular creature was injected with it, they would have been filled with uncontrollable energy that would kill them in a matter of days."

I looked at her cautiously, "And you know that through…"

She scoffed, "Reasoning and deduction of course. I wouldn't experiment on innocent animals for research, and I definitely wouldn't do anything like that with your blood without consent. Anyways, the point is that it's like she was made to take the stress. The way her soul and body are one in the same seems to make her stronger than any being with them separated, like a… resonating effect. It's not a perfect description, but the best I can do." She then furrowed her brows before seemingly deciding to add, "You're the same way."

I looked at her in surprise, "What?"

"You're soul and body, they're the same. "

I took a moment to process that. It hadn't really surprised me as much with Mrs. O'Leary, it was well known that monsters like her didn't have a "soul" per say. If her body and soul was the same, it made sense that both went to reform in Tartarus, instead of leaving behind a full corpse. Now that I think about it… if all gods are the same it makes sense that they reform too…. But I knew that they could be in two places at once like when Dionysus visited me while his body was knocked out for the fight with Typhon, though he referred to it as his consciousness

I found myself staring at the ocean beneath us as I sorted all of this out, before I asked," if she was suited for it, why was it killing her?"

"That's the thing. She had the ability to handle the ichor, but I think there is a very specific way she was supposed to receive it. Maybe a ritual, or spell."

My eyes widened, "Do you think if we found out what it was that she wouldn't need the collar?"

She nodded, "Most likely. However, the answer lies in your world, and you don't seem to know what it is."

I slumped back on Blackjack's back, groaning, "SO we have to start from scratch huh?"

"Sadly yes. Though I hope you let me know if you can think of anything."

I nodded, before asking, "By the way, how are you with replacing the belt you gave Mrs. O'Leary?"

She seemed surprised I asked this, "Oh… well really there's nothing stopping me from getting it. I'm just…."

"Not looking forward to it?" I guessed, earning a stiff nod from her. "You said it was unpleasant, are you ever going to tell me why?"

She said nothing, indicating that the answer was no. I sighed but wasn't too surprised. "Alright, fine. Just let me know if you get tired of flying, you can hop on the back of Blackjack."

 _Uh… what?_

"You heard me." I told the pegasus sternly, while Raven simply looked on.

After a couple more hours of flying, Raven eventually did take a rest on Blackjack. Apparently, she wasn't used to flying at such high speeds for long periods of time, like Wonder Woman and Blackjack. She sat sideways on his back behind me, princess style, while occasionally gripping my shoulder with one hand to steady herself. It surprised me at first but then I ran the image of her straddling the horses behind me through my head and decided it didn't fit her at all.

A few hours after that Diana finally spoke to us. I imagined she had been silently fuming at me for making her job harder, but when she looked back, I saw she had calmed down a bit, "Prepare to land."

Blackjack whinnied uncertainly, _On WHAT? there's nothing but ocean in front of us!_

He was proven wrong however, as suddenly a large island seemingly appeared out of nowhere as we passed through some kind of magical boundary, reminding me of the one surrounding camp Half Blood. I wondered if it was created the same way, but most of my attention was focused on the island.

It was beautiful to say the least. I was again reminded of Camp Half Blood, due to the lush green Forests, and outstanding scenery. The island had several small mountains jutting up from it, in the middle of which sat a golden city.

Okay maybe it wasn't golden but it might as well have been. For a moment, I thought I was looking at Olympus, due to the pristine white marble wherever you looked, the beautifully crafted Greek architecture gave it an aura of power.

I whistled softly as I looked at it, "Annabeth would have loved this."

"I'm sure she would have," Diana agreed smugly, before asking "Was she an acquaintance of yours in your world?"

I nodded, "She was my best friend. She was a daughter of Athena, real architecture nut."

I looked up and noticed Diana looking at me uncertainly, "What?"

""Daughter of Athena"? how could such a thing exist? Athena is an eternal maiden, she would never break her oath."

I nodded, "And she didn't. children of Athena are born similar to how she was, through the mind. She does this weird meeting of the minds thing with whoever she admires intellectually, and a few days later the children appear on the persons doorstep."

Diana had a strange look on her face, as if not sure whether to be impressed or horrified. Behind me however I heard Raven hum in interest, "That's pretty cool, I wonder how that works. Do they have belly buttons?"

I felt my sweat drop, "They get asked that a lot. I'm not sure how it works, but I can tell you with certainty that Annabeth did have a belly button."

"Did?" Raven questioned cautiously, while Diana had a different concern.

"How would you know that?" The tone of her voice suggested that she had a very particular idea of how I knew that.

I glared at her, "I didn't force myself on her if that's what you're thinking. Please don't tell me that you Amazons assume all men are rapists." I had enough of that from the Hunters of Artemis.

Diana still looked suspicious, "Of course not, I just think it's strange that a child of Poseidon and Athena could ever get along, considering their parents history."

I blinked, "Oh, that. Yeah, we were pretty rocky at first, but we eventually forgot about it. Who cares what our parents did? Though Athena wasn't very happy about it… Oh look we're here!"

I was relieved that we were finally landing in front of the Greek style city, as that conversation was getting a little hard to continue. Blackjack came down into a trot behind Diana, while M'gann landed her ship gracefully behind us. As Raven and I dismounted, the others trailed out of the ship with looks of awe at the scenery around them.

"Okay, I think I'm officially Whelmed." Robin muttered, while Tyson ran up to me excitedly.

"Brother! It's just like camp Half-Blood isn't?"

I nodded in agreement while the others looked confused. I was unsure of this until I realized I never really explained what it was to them. "In my World, Camp Half-Blood is a haven for Demigods where they are brought to train, under the leadership of Chiron himself."

Diana gasped, "Chiron? The legendary trainer of heroes?"

I nodded, "That's the one, horse's ass and all."

Diana scoffed at my crude joke, while the rest of my teammates let out good natured laughs, I even noticed a twitch on Ravens face.

Diana shook her head in exasperation, "in any case it is time to report to my mother. All of you should be warned, you were not expected, therefore you may be met with some hostility, especially the males. Just remain silent and let me do the talking, and Percy," she looked at me for a moment before sighing, "Just don't pick a fight please?"

I chuckled, "Relax, I know I'm giving you a hard time but I'm not a total ass.

She nodded in satisfaction, before turning and leading the way toward the gates. I looked back and noticed M'gann levitating the cake and food with her as she walked, while Tyson held the cookie containers in his arms protectively, I snorted at that but didn't say anything,

At the front gates stood two guards wearing the same type of armor that the girls at camp wore, albeit with a lot less underneath. Nevertheless, I was struck with a feeling of nostalgia, that doubled when they lowered their spears at us angrily. Never thought I'd miss Clarisse.

Diana walked forward, "Peace sisters! They are with me!"

One of the guards growled, "The Queen said only one male would be coming, who are all these people?"

Diana sighed, "It was an unfortunate necessity. I couldn't have brought him otherwise, and even the Queen would not dare defy the will of the gods."

The guards relaxed a bit at this and one looked at Diana with pity, "She still won't be happy, nor will anyone else"

The princess sighed, "No NEED TO REMIND ME. MAY WE ENTER?"

The guards nodded and moved out of the way, "Welcome to Themyscira, outsiders. Step out of line and be prepared to face the consequences.

Dina nodded gratefully and stepped through. As the others followed, I walked over to Tyson and grabbed a box of cookies, before walking up to the guards, who tensed at my approach and readied their spears.

I held the cookies above my head in surrender, "Relax, I just wanted to give you some cookies!"

The false god wishes to bribe us?" one of them asked.

I blinked, "What?"

The other snarled, "Do you really think a simple offering of food will make up for masquerading as a god? Such an offense is punishable by death!"

I STARED AT TEHM FOR A MOMENT, before rolling my eyes and setting the cookies on the ground, "Whatever, just eat them if you want, it's my birthday so I'm in a giving mood. Plus, I know how much guard duty sucks."

With that I simply walked away, ignoring their confused stares and whispers as I walked up to the rest of the group. "Well I think I have a pretty good idea of how today is going to go now…."

Diana looked back, "Don't blame them Percy, it's only natural for them to be offended. How do you think the Christians would feel if I declared myself one of their angels?"

"I'm pretty sure most would believe you…" Robin mumbled before speaking louder, "Still, if that's how just the gate sentry's look, I can't imagine what the rest of them will be like, right Wally?" He elbowed the speedster lightly at that, only for the redhead to look at him in confusion,

"what? Oh! Y-yeah, really looking forward to it!"

The others were not convinced, Artemis in particular looked at him suspiciously, "Come on Wally, I'm fairly certain this is a dream you've had. An entire island populated by gorgeous women! Aren't you excited!"

He shrugged, before rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess? I don't know what else you want me to say though..."

"I believe we are all expecting you to flirt with them in some way," Kaldur spoke up, stating what we were all thinking.

Wally chuckled nervously, "Yeah… I don't think they'd appreciate that very much…. Them or any other girl."

With that the speedster fell silent, and we stopped bugging him, though by the looks I was getting from Artemis and Robin, I would be expected to deal with that later. I couldn't help but agree, I might have messed something up when I called out Wally at the Tower.

For the moment however, I was busy admiring the city we were walking through, while also ignoring the looks we were getting from the residents. Like Artemis said, the island was populated by exclusively attractive women, none below their late teens. They were either dressed in Greek chitons like what Hera usually wore when I saw her, only less flashy and with less feathers, or outfitted in armor of varying types. I was interested to see that their armor occasionally went a step farther than what we had a t camp, with their unique designs, and extra armor pieces. I had assumed Diana's outfit was specifically made to fit the super hero theme, but it seemed that that's how everyone dresses around here. I noticed Tyson admiring them as well, but sparingly, as any who caught him looking grew angry.

Of all the glares pointed at us, I would say half were pointed at me, while the other half was split between Tyson and the rest of the team. I had anticipated this however, and had talked about t it with him before hand, so he was doing a pretty good job of ignoring, but just barely,

We weren't the only one admiring their surroundings however, . M'gann was staring at the clothing and armor in awe, likely taking notes for her "fashion journal" where she took notes on earths clothing habits. Artemis on the other hand, was looking at the weapons they carried in approval, and a bit of envy. I was surprised to see that Robin, Kaldur, and even Superboy, were getting a couple pink tints to their faces at being surrounded by so many beautiful women, while Wally simply trudged forward with his head down. yeah, something was definitely wrong there. Raven was quiet as always, but I was certain she was scanning her surroundings eagerly.

We soon started to see a massive building that stood out `among the rest. It appeared to be an enormous temple, reminding me of the throne room on Olympus, but a bit smaller and more intricately designed, if such a thing were possible.

We all stared up at it in awe, "Okay, that's impressive." I state.

"The design is outstanding!" Tyson shouted, before apologizing to the people around us who all grew tense at his voice, He then whisper-yelled at us, "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it!"

"If Tyson thinks it's good then it must be pretty advanced," Robin commented, "How does anyone get _this_ good at anything?"

Diana smirked, "Simple: centuries of practice. The amazons residing on this island have been around for nearly three millennia! As long as they remain on this island, they have no need for food or water, and they will never age past their prime."

Raven whistled in awe, "That's incredibly strong magic."

Diana nodded proudly, "it Is a blessing from one of our patron gods Demeter."

I blinked, "I guess that makes sense… you said one of, who else are your patrons."

Diana walked forward, while we followed and listened, "The Amazon race was first created when the goddesses, Demeter, Athena, Hestia, and Aphrodite reincarnated several hundred women who had been killed under the abusive hands of man. In reurn we remain their faithful servants."

That put a look of awe on the teams faces, but I was only curious, "Exactly how many were first reincarnated?"

Diana looked at me in confusion, "Several hundred, as I just said. Why?"

I gestured around us, "Seems like there are at least several thousand women here. How did that number grow?"

The princess blinked, "In the past there have been excursions to the outside world, before my time. Many women who suffered under the tyranny of man were brought back for safe haven."

I nodded thoughtfully. I still had a weird feeling but I decided to drop it for now. "Alright. Are we going to see the gods now?"

Diana looked at me as if I were crazy, "Of course not. The gods wouldn't arrive in person for something like this, we will go before my mother, who can communicate with the gods through her throne at the grand temple. She will hear your story and be told by the gods where we will go from there."

I nodded and gestured for her to lead the way.

As we made our way up the steps of the temple, Kaldur spoke up, "I wonder, is it alright that we are to participate in this?"

I glanced back at him, only to notice nervous looks on his and every other teammate's face, or at least those who regularly showed emotion. I simply grinned at them, "Relax guys, gods aren't hard to deal with. Just stroke their ego to keep them happy and they probably won't obliterate you."

That didn't seem to calm them, but it wasn't meant to. They needed to be cautious. As did I.

Diana threw open the front door to reveal a room that instantly caused me to sneer. It was set up like the Throne Room, only instead of thrones, giant statues of each gods symbolic animal stood tall. At the center stood Zeus' eagle, with wings stretching over a large throne, where a beautiful dark-haired woman sat, looking to be just a few years older than Diana. In the middle of the room sat a large brazier, tended to by a young girl, which caused me to smirk, but I held my tongue for now. I was bit confused when Diana knelt before the woman who looked to be only a few years her elder, "Mother."

If the queen had any sort of motherly affection for the heroine, she sure didn't show it now, only cold disdain as she surveyed the assortment of newcomers behind her. "What happened to only bringing the boy? I don't remember giving permission for you to bring multiple newcomers."

Diana flinched and opened her mouth to speak but I beat her to it, "That's more my fault actually. I wouldn't go with her unless they came along."

She looked at me carefully, as if assessing my every strength and flaw. It reminded me of Reyna a little bit, only scarier. "Are you so childish that you can't go anywhere without a flock of people to hold your hand?"

I felt my friends behind me grow tense at eth obvious verbal jab, but I simply held my hand up to tell them to calm down. "Actually, today the answer is yes. I hate spending birthdays alone. I'm also not exactly prideful, if that was what you were hoping for."

I stared down the queen as she raised an eyebrow, "Clearly… So you are Perseus Jackson?"

I waved her off, "Just Percy is fine."

She leaned back in her chair, "Tell me Perseus, what exactly leads you to believe that you stand on the same level as the Olympian gods?"

I rolled my eyes before looking back at my friends, "This is why I wasn't looking forward to this."

Only Superboy was bold enough to speak up, "Makes sense."

I turned back to the queen whose eye was twitching a bit, "As for your question, I never once said that I was on their level. I can tell you for certain that I'm not, at least with the gods of my world. It's probably the same with yours but I haven't met any of them to tell."

She hummed with interest, "Yet you still claim to be divine?"

I blinked, "Maybe?" I pulled out Riptide and uncapped it, causing both Diana and the queen to jump, while I felt my friends get into ready stances. I quickly raised my hands in the air, "Relax! I'm not attacking, just showing you something!"

The Queen looked down at me with great caution, "Where did you summon it from?"

I stared at her blankly, "My pocket… were you not watching or…." When the Queen didn't move I sighed, "Whatever, just look."

I ran the blade over my hand, causing most to flinch while I barely felt it, before holding my hand up to reveal the golden ichor dripping down my hand. When the queen saw this she leaned forward with interest, before stepping down from her throne and walking forward to get a closer look.

I let her approach, with an amused smirk as Diana got out of her way with a stunned expression. She narrowed her eyes at the golden liquid, reaching out a to poke it a bit, before I closed my hands into a fist, "A-A-A! no touching.

She quickly straightened herself up and looked at me with an unimpressed expression, "What is that supposed to prove?"

I blinked, "Uh…."

She turned on her heel and went back to her throne while explaining, "I am aware that the myths of the gods, existing in the outside world include the mention of golden blood running through the gods veins, but in fact that is one of the few things that are actually a myth."

I LOOKED AT HER in surprise, "So your gods don't bleed ichor?"

She looked at me in pity, "They are gods Perseus, they do not bleed at all. Though you seem quite sure of the fact that the gods of your universe do. Why is that?"

I shrugged, "Mostly because when I cut one they bled gold."

That caused the room to fall silent, before it was filled with a low very humorless chuckle, emanating from the Queen herself, "You really are a bold one."

I raised an eyebrow, "How do you figure?"

She stopped chuckling and full on glared at me. "You force your friends onto our island, like you own the place. You all then proceed to not show the proper respect to the island by not bowing. And now you spout a string of lies, and expect us to believe that you went into combat with an god and survived, even drawing blood. My patience has been tried to it's very end. Guards!"

I sighed as a lien of warriors sprinted into the room with spears at the ready, trying to surround me, only for my friends to take up defensive positons around me. The warriors stepped back a bit when Tyson grew to his giant form and bellowed at them.

"By the gods…." One of them muttered.

"A cyclops! Another shouted, "Kill the monster!"

That was when I had enough. I raised a foot, charging earthquake energy into it as I did so, before bringing it down forcefully, sending a shockwave through the building, and likely the whole island, that put everyone standing up on their ass, except from Raven, M'gann, and Diana, who simply floated up.

I winced at my fallen teammates, "Sorry guys."

Wally groaned, "You could have warned us!"

I laughed weakly, "Maybe. I was just focused getting everyone to CHILL THE FUCK OUT!" I shifted my volume and tone to the one I had developed after years of leadership and combat, causing even the Queen to flinch as her warriors tried to get to their feet.

I turned to her first, "You know, you're so quick to judge me as a liar, tell me have _you_ ever fought a god?"

She snarled and held her head high, "I have survived battle with Ares, the God of War on multiple occasions!"

I raised an eyebrow, making it clear that I wasn't impressed, although I did chuckle a bit, "Small world…" I noticed the majority of the soldiers on their feet, I looked at the queen, "Tell them to stand down or my next step will bring your entire island down."

The woman didn't budge, "You couldn't possibly—"

"WHAT?!" Diana exclaimed fearfully, "Percy you can't! this island is filled with innocent women as well as warriors!"

"Do you think maybe you're overreacting?" Aqualad asked nervously, looking back from his defensive positon.

A few more voiced their worry, but I ignored them all and continued staring at the queen as she began to realize what was happening "You get don't you? they all know deep down that I can do it. They've all seen my power when I lose control. Even I don't know how much damage I can do if I put my mind to it, but I can tell you an island such as this wouldn't stand a chance. I've destroyed volcanoes from the inside, and that was when I was younger, weaker, more naïve. And yes I may be bluffing, but tell me: do you really want to take the chance?"

Evidently she didn't, a moment later she called out, "Stand down."

The soldiers stood straight instantly, before making their way out of the room, once again leaving us alone.

The queen glared at me once more, "Now, what do you want?"

I blinked, "Mostly for your guards to stoop pointing weapons at my friends. Thanks for that. Now though, I want to know your name, as I'm tired of only knowing you as Queen."

The queen's eyes widened and her next words were actually a bit wavering, "I am…. Hippolyta."

I nodded in satisfaction. "All right Queen Hippolyta. I hope you can forgive me for my threats, but I have spent years being chased, attacked, and walked all over by the beings of my universe. It will not be the same here. That being said, I'm perfectly fine to go to your trial thingy," ignored the looks of disbelief. "But before that, I have one more question for you.'

Hippolyta, now thoroughly shaken and confused nodded, "Alright, what is it?"

I smiled, before walking out of the circle my friends had created, patting Tyson's leg to tell him to calm down. he instantly shrunk down though he was so confused as the others until he saw where I was going.

I walked until I was standing at the brazier, where the girl tended the fire I turned back to Hippolyta "Would you say you are close with the gods?"

She straightened u, "Of course, as queen I am the voice they use to command Themyscira."

I nodded, "Well if that's the case, how is it that you don't recognize one sitting right in front of you?" at this the girl looked up at me in surprise

"What are you talking about?" Diana asked, "That's just the girl who tends the hearth. She's been there for centuries, if I'm not mistaken."

"You are not," the queen assured her daughter.

I smirked, "Didn't you say the amazons stop aging at their prime? Why would she stop at 10 years old?"

The two Amazons shook their heads in confusion, apparently having a hard time trying to process this, while M'gann spoke up behind me, "Percy… somethings different about her…"

I SMILED AT THE YOUGN GIRL. "I know." I then got down in a kneeling stance in front of the girl, showing respect to the one goddess I believed to deserve it, "I'm glad that the first one I met is you, Lady Hestia."

The girl looked at me for a moment, before smiling, as two flames lit up in her pupils. "Impressive, tell me, how did you recognize me?"

I smirked, "The Hestia in my universe had the same trick." As I explained this, the girl stood up and began to grow taller, older, and her clothes shifted into a beautiful, somehow smoldering robe.

She looked past me, "Well I'm surprised to see you and your friends know respect while my own Amazons do not."

I looked back to see my team following my lead, kneeling down behind me, albeit reluctantly for a few, while Diana and Hippolyta were staring at the goddess in shock, before realizing what was happening and dropping to their knees, and lowering their heads,

"Our deepest apologizes my Lady!" Hippolyta exclaimed, "We meant no disrespect! We only—"

Hestia waved her off, "Oh relax, I won't smite you for being surprised."

That caused the Amazons to sigh in relief though they remained kneeling, while I gestured for my teammates to join me in standing up, to which they complied. Hestia raised an eyebrow, "So, "nephew", is this your way of saying you find yourself on the level of an Olympian?"

I smirked, "Of course not. Especially not you, if you are anything like my Hestia, you are the kindest, most compassionate of the Olympians, as well as the oldest and presumably most powerful. I am well aware we are not on the same level, but I have decided to never again bow to someone on the basis of strength, but of respect. I bowed to you, both out of respect for my Hestia and to make a good first impression, but until I'm sure you, or any of the gods of this universe deserve it, I will remain."

Hestia stared at me for a moment, before slowly growing a smile, "Very well. I see I cannot sway you in this, and honestly it doesn't mean very much to me. just have caution with the rest of Olympus, they may not be as understanding."

I rolled my eyes, "I bet…"

Suddenly Hippolyta's voice spoke up again, "M-m-my lady?! How can such blasphemy be acceptable?"

Hestia chuckled, "Because I say at is, and as far as you are concerned that makes it not blasphemous." Hippolyta had no retort for that, so Hestia turned to her daughter, "Diana, I sense something is on your mind."

The heroine flinched as her name was called, before gathering her courage and asking, "H-how is it that we never notice your presence? And more so why were you there? You are always welcome on Themyscira of course, but if we had known we could have made you more comfortable."

Hestia nodded, "All good questions. Truthfully, I am never more comfortable than when tending to the hearth, but I know you would have tried anyway, I didn't want to trouble you all, but I felt the need to keep an eye on the affairs of the wielder of my lasso. As for how you didn't notice, you are all not to blame. It is an easy trick for us gods to exude magic to turn away your attention. No one has ever been immune, until Perseus here." She looked at me with interest.

I was interested in this as well, "It sounds like the Mist to me."

The women and goddess looked at me in confusion, before Hestia asked, "I don't see how condensation has to do with this."

I shook my head, "No I mean capital M mist. It is a veil of magic hanging over the whole world, managed by the goddess Hecate." I noticed a twitch in Diana's face at the name. "It ensures the separation of Mortals and Myth."

Hestia nodded with interest, "Go on."

I thought for a moment, "Okay, so like if a hellhound was walking down the street, the Mist would shroud it so it looked like a poodle of something."

Hestia looked confused, "Hellhound? So those exist in your world? It is only a myth here."

I lit up, "Oh yeah that reminds me!" I turned around towards a shadowy area of the room, "Mrs. O'Leary! Come!"

There was a few moments of nothing happening. I leaned over to Hestia who was now next to me, "This is my first time trying this, so I don't know if it will work."

Before the goddess could as what "this" was, the shadows twisted before spitting out a very happy hellhound. Mrs. O'Leary bounded up to me in her smaller size, jumping up to shower up my face with licks. I chuckled as I tried to keep her away, "Alright alright! Good girl!

When she was done seeing me, she turned to Hestia suspiciously, before circling and sniffing her curiously. Said goddess only watched her in amusement as he shook her head as if the smell startled her before bouncing off to see my teammates. "So that is a hellhound? Her method of transportation seems impressive, but I can hardly understand what she did to deserve such a scary name."

I smirked and turned to the hound as she was licking Superboy, "Mrs. O'Leary, normal size!"

She barked happily as Superboy looked at me furiously, "Percy you di—mmmph" He was cut off as Mrs. O'Leary's rapid size change covered him in her fur.

Hestia and the Amazons looked up at the creature in awe as she wagged happily and covered the clone in her slobber. Hestia was the first to say, "I see."

Superboy eventually wrestled her off of him, eliciting her to explore her new surroundings, much to Hippolyta's disdain, though she dared not say anything about it. I THEN NOTICED Hestia looking at my hand curiously. I realized it was the same one I had cut. I raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to chuckle nervously, "Apologies, I must say I'm curious. May I take a look?"

I winced "Yeah… no. from what I've been told it's super mysterious and powerful, not to say I don't trust you, I mean I don't, but I definitely trust the other Olympians even less."

The goddess frowned, "I see… very well, I will respect your wishes, since you have shown no sign of ill will so far. I suppose we should have your "trial" now correct?" She looked at Diana and Hippolyta expectantly.

The queen bowed immediately, "If you still find it necessary my Lady."

Hestia smiled, "It likely isn't but it couldn't hurt." She looked at me, "We will gather our Amazons in the Amphitheater and question you with my lasso. With it, you will tell no lies. If this displeases you I suggest you tell us now."

I bit my lip. I was fairly displeased by that, but I knew that if I refused it would just cause more problems. I had nothing in particular I wanted to hide, but I knew that saying everything out loud wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

With a sigh I nodded, "I'm good,"

As we waited for the event to start, I sat with my team in one of the rooms of the amphitheater. We passed the time by chowing down on the birthday cake, which was fantastic by the way, and discussing what was happening. We were seated around a table, with me absentmindedly petting Mrs. O'Leary, who was seated next to me with her head in my lap. I think she could sense what was coming, otherwise I'm certain she would be with Raven instead.

"If all the gods are like that, I have to say I don't know what your problem is," Robin commented, "Maybe the gods here are different?"

I shook my head as I held my empty plate, "Hestia was always like that. You could say she's the black sheep of the family. The other gods are a thousand times worse, even my father, though he made sure never to show it to me."

That put a bit of gloom over the room, before M'gann spoke up, "Are you sure you'll be okay? What if they… ask the wrong questions?"

Kaldur nodded in agreement, "We all know that there are… certain events in you past that you don't like discussing."

Tyson tentatively added, "I-I could go in your place brother. I am know most of what you do, if I it could spare you the pain I will gladly— "

"That's alright Tyson." I cut him off while smiling. I was tempted to take him up on that offer, but knowing him, he was likely to break down to tears before I would, just giving the secondhand account. "Really, I'm alright I've had over a month to deal with this, I'll be fine."

"No you won't," Raven spoke up, "I can feel your dread rolling off in waves."

I deflated a bit at that, cursing empathy powers in my head, "Wow just call me out why don't you?"

"Dude," Robin spoke up, "No offense but… we've seen how you get with this stuff. I'm fairly certain the whole "sink the island" thing was a bluff, but if you end up having to relive everything for real…"

"We don't want to see you hurting is the point," Kaldur said, shooting a look at robin, who simply shrugged. I heard Mrs. O'Leary y whimper up at me for emphasis.

I sighed, "I just don't see a better way guys. None of you have been to my world, M'gann has had to erase most of the memories from me for obvious reasons, and I seriously doubt they'd let Tyson take my place. From the looks of it they have Cyclopes here too, and they aren't as friendly as him. If I do lose it..."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Superboy of all people trying to comfort me, "We'll pull you back." It would have been a really nice moment, but it was hard to take him seriously covered in in dog saliva as he was. It doesn't mean I didn't feel a warm sensation in my chest as he said those words.

I put on a smile, "Well with luck they might not ask any hard questions."

"How did you come to be in this universe?"

I felt my heart drop at those words. I was currently standing in the middle of the amphitheater, which felt more like a football stadium. In front of me sat Hippolyta and Hestia, on two thrones set up on the main stage, the goddess' be larger.

Around me in the stands sat hundreds of Amazons, and I could practically feel the hatred rolling off of them. They didn't say a word however, as they were too engrossed with the goddess among them. Apparently, many of them had never seen a god, so when Hippolyta introduced her on the stage, there were mixed responses. Some were too shocked to say a word, while others shouted their joy and admirations from the top of their lungs.

I stood in the middle where they all could see me clearly, while Diana had her lasso around my wrist. Apparently procedure called for it to go around my boy, keeping it restrained, but I quickly spoke against that Idea, and was fortunately backed up by Hestia and Diana.

Near the front of the stand stood my friends. There was an unspoken consensus that they would be as close as possible without interfering, in case they felt the need to come to my aid I suspected the Amazons only agreed because as outnumbered as we are, it would matter in the end.

I took a deep breath as the entire area was silent, waiting for my response to the question. After a moment, I responded in a loud voice, "I am not certain. However, I believe that the Fates sent me here."

That caused a lot of murmuring and suspicious looks from the crowd, something I would likely get a lot of before this was over.

Hippolyta kept a straight face for her part, and continued the questioning, as Hestia ORDEERED HER TO DO SO, "Why do you think they would do that?"

I sighed, "Well again, I'm not certain, but before I came here, I heard what I believed to be their voices stating that they were sending me away."

"Why?" Hippolyta asked again, causing me to twitch in irritation.

I took a deep breath before saying, "They seemed to… take pity on me."

As I expected, the amazons burst into thunderous laughter. I couldn't blame them, the thought that the sisters of fate would take pity on anyone was laughable, or so I thought before it happened to me.

Only my team, Diana, and Hestia didn't' laugh. Even Hippolyta cracked a smirk at this before asking, "Really? All of creation between their needles and you think they took a moment to help you? Just who do you think you are?"

I felt my face heating up, but continued to glare at her. "I think I'm someone who had a really shitty lot in life, one that I didn't deserve. Either they, or someone else must have agreed."

The laughter took a moment to die down, before Hippolyta continued, "Alright, let's take a step back. Tell us your story, Hero, and we will judge how "shitty' it is."

I blinked, "My story? You mean from the beginning?"

Hippolyta leaned back and waved her hand dismissively, "Yes, yes, just don't drone on, I can only abide wasting so much time on you "

I rolled my eyes before sifting my feet to get more comfortable, "Okay then…. It all started when I was twelve, and I vaporized my math teacher…"

I then went on to explain my first adventure, starting with that fateful encounter at the museum. As I explained everything about Zeus, his ridiculous accusation of Poseidon, and how I had to go and retrieve his stupid boom stick. With each monster story, I could tell my audience was having a hard time believing it, but I doubted any of them would dare question the validity of the Lasso, when its creator was in their presence. They could only stare in awe as I told my story.

I was interrupted a few times. Hippolyta called for Diana to check the lasso to make sure it was secured correctly, after I explained how I fought Ares and basically won at twelve years old with very little combat experience. I simply explained to them that Ares was not all he was chocked up to be, especially since he was dumb enough to challenge a son of Poseidon on a freaking beach.

I then went on to my other adventures. I even found myself getting nostalgic as I described my journey with Tyson through the Sea of Monsters beforehand I had to give a detailed explanation of the whole "gods moving to America" concept, as it was starting to confuse them when I started talking about the Bermuda triangle. A few of my friends had surprised looks when I described how I wasn't always very happy to have Tyson as a brother, while Tyson only smiled sheepishly as the Amazons kept throwing him looks of awe as I described his fight with Polyphemus, an older, more experienced Cyclops than himself.

Diana had a lot of questions when I talked about Thalia, the thought of another daughter of Zeus intriguing her, but most of them I couldn't answer, and Hippolyta eventually had to tell her to stop and let me finish. I noticed the snarkiness in her tone gone, replaced with just as much awe as the other amazons, though she did a better job of hiding it..

I went on to describe my adventure with the Hunters of Artemis. This was the most interesting to them by far, as they saw the similarities between themselves. When I got to the whole "holding the sky" part they were confused again."

"It seems we have another difference between our world," Hippolyta mused, "Here there is no place where the sky and earth meet in such a way. It doesn't seem physically possible for you to hold it up as such."

I shrugged, "It didn't feel physically possible, let me tell ya. I only held it for a few minutes and it was one of the top five most painful moments in my life. I don't understand the science behind it, if there is any."

I continued on to the whole Labyrinth mess, where I explained how I got Mrs. O'Leary. I noticed some shivers run down some spines as I described Kampé, and couldn't blame them. That bitch was terrifying. I got some dirty looks when I explained how I destroyed Typhon's prison, but I assured them it all worked out, and that it was really Hephaestus' fault in the first place.

Finally, I told the story of the battle of Manhattan. They were immediately stunned to dead silence as I described my bath in the River Styx. I mostly ignored them and continued the story, though I noticed my friends staring at me wide eyed as well, which kind of upset me. I liked having friends who didn't know all my "feats" they were easier to be around. Less expectant.

The clincher however was when I describe going toe to scythe with the king of the Titans. I even saw a few tears shed as I describes Luke's final sacrifice.

At the end Diana couldn't help but ask, "W-What happened then? Surely the gods must have rewarded you handsomely for such a feat!"

I nodded, "Yeah, they tried to offer me godhood."

At that, the amazons were shocked into silence, while Hestia leaned forward with her still growing smile, "Tried? So you refused?"

I nodded. "Yeah, back then… I had friends and family I wasn't ready to leave behind. I'm sure you understand."

The goddess of Family had a twinkle in her eye, "I'd like to think I do. However I must say that must men in the same situation wouldn't have hesitated to accept. your sense of loyalty is astounding."

I smiled dryly, "That's me, loyal to a fault."

Hippolyta eventually cleared her throat after collecting herself, "Well… that certainly is an impressive tale. I must… apologize for my previous attitude towards you, I see you do not deserve it. However, this leaves many questions unanswered. Why do you not have the curse of Achilles anymore? And from the sounds of it, your life should have been— "

"Smooth sailing from there right?" I interrupted. She could only nod while I snickered, "You'd think that wouldn't you. but from there is when everything went to shit. Starting with Hera stealing 8 months of my life for no gods damned reason."

I went on to explain my adventures with the crew of the Argo II, cue more gasps and awed looks, yada yada yada, until finally I got to the end of Annabeth's fight with Arachne. To the Fall."

"Y-You _fell_ into Tartarus?" Hestia asked, shocking the crowd with her stuttering."

I blinked, "So you have that here too?"

She looked uneasy, "I-it goes by many names. Tartarus, Hell, the Abys. It is a terrible dimension, host to only the most dangerous and bloodthirsty creatures."

I nodded, "Sounds about right."

Hestia shook her head, "But it's a different dimension! How could you just _fall_ from one dimension to the next?"

I shrugg3d, "Magic hole?" I heard a few snickers in the crowd, and a few of them didn't come from Wally, "It was a hell of a trip though, I'm not sure but it felt like I spent hours falling, if not days."

"Wait a moment! Back up!" Diana exclaimed, "How did you end up falling down there anyways?"

I felt my throat close up, as flashed of her face, dangling below me flashed through my head. for a moment, I felt M'gann's mind touch mind, lightly, as if to comfort me. I looked over at her to see her looking at me with deep concern. I simply smiled, before facing forward.

"Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena," I again ignored the confusion, "And my girlfriend." Cue even more confusion. "One of her feet was caught by some of Arachne's webs, with heavy debris on the other end. It was dragging her down the hole, I barely managed to catch her before she fell."

I took another breath, "I tried to hold on until the others came to help, but I could tell we wouldn't last that long, I could feel her hand slipping. So I had a choice, either let her go, or…"

Realization dawned on everyone's face, as Hestia spoke in awe, "You fell for her… I mean no I'm sorry I didn't mean— "

She was cut off by the sound of me laughing boisterously. Everyone stared at me in surprise, but I didn't care. I surprised myself with how real my own laugh was. When I finally reined myself in I said, "That…. That is hilariously accurate. Unfortunately,… she didn't survive the fall."

That seemed to bring the mood of the amphitheater down by a thousand percent. Hestia looked down at me with concern I thought only a mother could have. "I'm… so sorry child. We can stop now if— "

I shook my head, "No no this is good, I… There's not much left. Long story short, Tartarus is time dilated, so two weeks turned to 140 years, the majority of which I spent under the care of Perses, the titan of destruction. And by care, I mean constant and _very_ creative torture."

"Percy…" Diana spoke calmly but I could barely hear her.

"…one of his favorite things to do was remove my limbs and beat me with them one by one, before reattaching them the next day. I don't know what kind of magic it was, but no matter what he did to me I would stay alive." I chuckled a bit, "Once, he took me in front of a mirror and ripped my head and spine out of my body, before making me look at myself. That was fun." I vaguely recognized the sound of several people vomiting.

"Perseus…" Hippolyta spoke fearfully, but again I ignored it.

"But I think the worst part was when he would give me my daily cut. It wasn't the most painful by far, and they'd all be healed again when he eventually ran out of room, but I guess it was the sense of inevitably, the fact that no matter what I did I couldn't get out of it. And also because he made the cut with one of my ribs."

I felt my heart beat faster, "And then, when I finally escape after a CENTURY! I end up watching all of my friends die ONE BY ONE!"

"PERCY!" I looked to see that it was in fact Raven who shouted my name. she seemed to be the only one with a straight face at the moment, as the others were either sobbing, (M'gann and Tyson) throwing up, (Wally and Artemis) or looking up at the sky fearfully.

I looked up at the sky to see that I had unconsciously formed a light hurricane over the amphitheater. It swirled threateningly over the Amazons, but had yet to let loose any rain or lighting. I cursed under my breath a bit, realizing I had lost control again, before looking forward, to come face to face with Hestia.

Before I could respond, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my had against her chest. As soon as it made contact, I felt all the images running through my head, disappear, before I blacked out.

 **Third Person POV**

As soon as Percy's face hit Hestia's chest, the swirling clouds overhead dissipated, and the people in the amphitheater let out a sigh of relief, before returning their attention to Hestia, who was now cradling Percy in her arms like he weighed nothing at all, a small frown on her face.

After a few moments, she spoke loud enough for all the amazons to her, "This… man, has proven to be a true loyal hero, and potentially a great ally for Themyscira. Does anyone object?" No one did. "Good… however he has also proven to have gone through worse hardships than any other hero on Earth. He will need much guidance…" she looked up to see the Team walking towards her. she zeroed in on M'gann, "You girl. You martians are good with minds, right?"

M'gann, still greener than usual from Percy's speech, lowered her head, "I have offered to try to relieve his pain, but he won't let me. He doesn't want me to go through the pain it would cause me…"

Hestia actually scoffed, surprising Diana who stood next to her, "He would say that wouldn't he? I suppose he has a point…"

"Uh… Lady Hestia?" Tyson spoke up tentatively.

Hestia looked at the Cyclops, "Yes Tyson?"

He looked like he was almost about to pass out from the emotional stress of Percy's speech combined with talking to an Olympian like this, but he calmed down when M'gann put a hand on his shoulder, "I-I just wanted to say… he was much worse when we came here. I don't know what you are thinking, but if you wish to help heal him with some form of Magic, I don't think he would approve."

Hestia looked surprised, "Really? Why is that?"

He took a deep breath, "My brother… cherishes the memories he has of those he lost, no matter how painful they are. And his time… downstairs, may have taken its toll, but it has also given him strength, in way. I wish I could take those memories away, but until he says so, I don't think it would be correct to do so."

Hestia looked at him for a moment before smiling warmly, "I do believe you are the most eloquent cyclops I have ever met. Well said Tyson. Thank you for speaking up."

He nodded quickly, as Hestia readjusted Percy in her arms, "I am keeping him calm for now, as well as keeping his nightmares away. I will take him to a room and stay with him until he is well rested." She spoke louder for the Amazons, "And then we will see how well he fares with the Trials of the Amazons! Tell me: who would like to test themselves against this Hero?"

In response, the crowd of Amazons roared in approval, some waving their weapons in the air to indicate that they would very much like to fight the demigod.

The team looked at Hestia in shock, "You are still going to make him go through the trials?" Kaldur asked in confusion, "Forgive me my lady but do you think that is the best idea right now?"

Hestia only smiled, "I do. From his story, I believe it will be good for him." She turned to Diana, "I also think we should try out that game he mentioned: capture the flag. I'm sure the Amazons will enjoy it just as much as he does."

She looked at them one more time, "I will bring him to his room now, any who wish to come are welcome."

She then turned and walked away, followed quickly by Tyson, M'gann, and Raven, though the gothic girl was keeping a cautious eye on the goddess more so than the others.

That left Robin, Kaldur, Wally, Artemis, and Kaldur standing awkwardly in the middle of the Amphitheater while the Amazons slowly y filed out. They were silent for a moment before Robin said, "I can't believe _I_ tried to lead _him_."

Kaldur nodded, "I agree, I feel silly that I even thought about it."

Artemis was slumped a bit, causing Wally to ask, "What's wrong?"

Artemis sighed, "I just realized that he's a thousand years out of my league."

Wally could only pat her on the back at that. Robin turned to Superboy, who had a strange look on his face, "What is it SB?"

He had his eyes narrowed as he looked around, "Somethings… GET DOWN!"

Before even Superboy could move however, a yellow streak slammed into him, cratering him into the ground, and throwing up a ton of dust. Diana and Hippolyta, who had been making their way out of the amphitheater with their sister, froze at this, before simultaneously thinking": oh Hera."

A moment later a red-haired warrior ran through the crowd, panting heavily, "Damn it girl! I told you to stay put!"

"How could I!" a feminine voice responded inside the dust cloud. The other members of the team gathered their wits and rushed into the cloud, only for it to suddenly be blown away by something.

It cleared away to reveal a strange sight. Superboy was on his back, looking up in anger at a girl who was standing on his chest, and glaring down at him just as harshly. she had fair skin, blue eyes, and long blonde hair, as well as an athletic build that paired perfectly with the Amazonian armor she was wearing. She bent down and pointed to the S symbol on his T-Shirt, "Why are you wearing this symbol?! Why do you look like my cousin?!"

Diana face palmed at her difficult student, "Gods damn it Kara…"

 **Chapter 11**

 **So far this birthday is looking to go just as badly as his last one huh? Well its not over yet. And yes I am mixing timelines and all that. I always loved the thought of Kara training with the Amazons**

 **I didn't wnt to get too far into his explanation of his life, mostly because I get so engrossed in it I could go on in on… but I hope I did it well.**

 **Also I know we never did get him to answer how he came to this world. An important part of the Amazon Lore is theat they have a strong connection with Gaea, learning that he killed her… well we'll see how that goes eventually.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I always thought Kara should b s bit more messed up with what she went through so don't be surprised ehn that shows in this chapter.**

Third Person POV

Percy woke when he felt something wet slathering his face. H slowly opened his eyes to find a certain hellhound licking his face excitedly. He quickly pushed her aside, "Ugh… I'm awake girl you can stop now." It was then that he felt the softness on the back of his head. he quickly realized he was reclining his head on the lap of the goddess of the hearth.

He looked up at her for a few moments, unsure of what to do, before asking, "What happened?" though the memories were already coming back

Hestia smiled sadly, "You got caught up in your past."

Percy closed his eyes as he sighed, before sitting up. "Crap… how bad was it? Did anyone get hurt?

The goddess smiled, "Fortunately not. It's surprising, though, from what your friends told me, you're getting much better at restraining yourself, despite this being your worst… incident."

He looked at her in surprise, "My friends? Where are they? Where am I?" he sat up off of her lap, "And why was I…"

"I was simply helping to calm you down. it was quite a task too, those nightmares of yours were quite tenacious." She chuckled at the look he gave her, "Relax, I didn't go any farther, your cloaked friend monitored me to make sure. Their elsewhere at the moment. We are in one of the rooms underneath the stands of the amphitheater.

Percy let out a sigh of relief, noticing that he did feel well rested, before looking at her "Wait… Raven was here?"

She nodded, "Yes, her, the Martian and your… brother. All of them are quite something but I have to say the Cyclops is quite intriguing. The Cyclopes of our world were never as intelligent, or as small. Most are even larger than Tyson's giant form. But aside from all that what really set s him apart is his ability with magic."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Magic? Tyson doesn't use magic… I think. I mean maybe with his creations, but that would be it."

Hestia frowned AT THIS, "Really? That's odd. He has the knack for it. All good magic users can absorb the magic energy around them for their own use, and he appears to have a stockpile the size of, well, a god. Of course, that Raven girl wasn't too bad herself but that's too be expected."

Percy wanted to ask what she meant by that but set it for later, more worried about Tyson, "Wait, so if he has all that magic stored in him… could that be dangerous?"

Hestia looked up in thought for a moment, "It could, but seeing as he hasn't exploded I'd assay he has some form of regular output. Perhaps his size changing?"

Percy nodded in agreement, before something hit him, "Cyclopes, are inherently good with machines and incredibly strong. Tyson always stood out form the rest, but since we came here, it's like he's been supercharged in both aspects…"

Hestia raised an eyebrow, "If he fuels his strength and intelligence with magic, it could be that the magic flowing through this world is stronger than the magic flowing through yours."

Percy frowned at that, "But that doesn't make sense, there's a literal layer of magic called the Mist that's always working to separate the mortal and mythic worlds. This world doesn't have that so—"

"Such a thing couldn't possibly occur naturally," Hestia stated, "It must be the result of some form of spell, likely cast by one of your gods. This is just a blind guess, but it's possible that if the spell works constantly, it could be absorbing the magic energy around it. So if our world had the same level of magic energy, that spell would make it impossible for a magic user to access the same level of power in your world."

Percy blinked, "Okaaay… I guess that makes sense," He didn't get it at all, "So wait, do I absorb magic too?"

Hestia simply shook her head, "No."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Uh… isn't' that bad? I use water magic on a regular basis. What if I like, run out or something."

Hestia chuckled "Well I doubt that will happen. You obviously draw power from your "ichor", and if it functions like blood then your body restores it on its own."

He eyed her, "You didn't…"

She scoffed, "I said I didn't do anything unwanted and I meant it. The reason for your inability to access all that power is beyond me. I'd be offended if I didn't know your history with gods." She suddenly had a strange look in her eye, "If they can be called that."

Percy again had more questions, but he decided he had sat around talking enough, "So… where are my friends exactly?"

Hestia looked back from staring off at nothing, "Hm? Oh yes, they are currently dealing with some girl who attacked one of them."

Percy stood up in alarm, "What? why didn't you tell me sooner?" He then ran out of the room, to look for his friends, Mrs. O'Leary running happily after him.

Hestia merely watched him go in confusion, "Its's not like they're in danger…"

Percy had a little trouble gaining his bearing s at first, but he quickly found his way back to the center of the Amphitheater. He exited from under the stands with Mrs. O'Leary in tow, to see something he wasn't expecting.

For one thing, no one was attacking anyone. The "girl" I question, or who he assumed was the girl in question, was standing with her arms crossed and a very p9issed off look on her face. From her Amazonian armor, Percy would have assumed she was one of them, but she was much too young. She had long blonde hair, and crystal blue eyes that radiated irritation.

Superboy was a few feet behind her, mirroring her demeaner. Between them stood a very nervous Tyson. Surrounding Superboy was the Team, who looked to be split between calming Superboy and protecting him form the girl. Only Raven noticed Percy approaching and gave him a nod. With the newcomer was Hippolyta, Diana, and a new red-haired Amazon scolding the girl, though she looked not to be listening.

Percy approached the team while keeping a cautious eye on the girl. For a minute he thought Hestia's description of a "Fight" was exaggerated, until he saw the twenty-foot crater in the ground behind them. There was definitely more to her than meets the eye.

It was only when he was a few feet away that he others noticed his approach. M'gann was the first to react, flying over to him worriedly, "Percy! Are you alright? I'm sorry we weren't there when you woke up but— "

"It's alright! I'm fine!" He assured her with a smile, before frowning and looking at the situation around them, "What happened?"

Superboy answered angrily, "That brat over there tried to kill me for no reason! If not for Tyson I might be— "

"There was a reason!" they turned to see the girl staring back at them angrily, as she apparently had excellent hearing. "He looks like my cousin, and I wanted to know why."

Percy only raised an eyebrow, "Okay, I'm gonna go over there and see what her problem is."

"I just told you!"

"Uh Perce," Robin spoke up, "I would be careful if I were you, she claims she's _Superman's_ _cousin_."

"You think I'm lying you little— "

Percy ignored her as he stared at Robin, before smirking, "Great, if she's anything like him she should be really easy to deal with."

"WHAT?! why don't you come over here and say that?"

Percy groaned before turning to her, "I will just give me a MINUTE!", Mrs. O'Leary barked at her as well for good measure. something told him that he wasn't going to be as easy to deal with.

"Dude what I mean is you should _not_ get her angry," Robin sighed, "She has _all_ his powers, unlike… uh…"

"Me." Superboy stated grumpily.

Percy patted Robin on the shoulder, "I'll be okay, and if not, I'm used to girls kicking my ass."

He then turned and walked over to the amazons and the newfound Kryptonian, Mrs. O'Leary trotting next to him, ignoring the girl's glare, and the amazon's worried looks. He stopped when he was standing right in front of the girl, who was eye level with him. She gave the dog a weary look, before she looked him up and down, trying hard not to be impressed with what she saw, before looking him in the eye, "well?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Well what?"

"Do you have something to say?" She crossed her arms and popped her hip out to the side, her entire being exuding a challenge.

Diana spoke up first, "Percy, please, let me apologize, she wasn't supposed— "

"Wasn't supposed to know Superboy was here?" Percy guessed, "Superman hasn't told her about him?"

the girl snarled while Diana sighed, "It's… complicated."

Percy chuckled humorlessly, "Not really, he still hasn't got his head out of his ass enough to stop treating him badly."

The girl huffed, "Don't talk about him like that, who do you think you are?"

Percy turned to her, his face blank. "I take it you weren't there for the speech… What's your name?"

"What?"

He rolled his eyes, "Your name, what Is it?"

She shitted her feet a bit before proudly answering, "Kara. "

"Well Kara, to answer your question, I think I'm the leader of this team. Anyone who attacks a member of my team gets to answer to me. Did you even consider just asking him why he looks like your cousin?"

She looked about o answer but realized that her answer wasn't very good, so Percy kept going, "How about I tell you why: he's a clone, made by some crazy scientist who wanted to brainwash him into a super powered slave. He almost was one, but he managed to overcome his programming and side with us, people he barely knew. So, tell me Kara, what exactly is your fucking problem with him?"

The Kryptonian could only stutter and stammer at this, while Diana gasped, "Percy!"

"It's fine," Hippolyta assured her daughter, before looking at Kara angrily, "In this situation I believe use of such langu1age may be warranted. You are a guest on this island, you cannot attack anyone you please! Artemis! What happened to keeping her occupied?"

The red haired Amazon who was apparently named Artemis bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry my queen, I tried to keep her attention away from the trial, but after the… clouds, she used her super vision to see what was going on, I tried to stop her but— "

"It's alright," Diana sighed, "We know how hard she can be to handle, we shouldn't have forced you to deal with her alone."

Artemis simply bowed again before the attention was once again on the blonde, "Do you have anything to say then?" Diana asked.

Kara snorted, "Yeah: Guest? Last I checked I was kidnapped and _forced_ to come here!"

"What?" Percy looked at Diana in alarm, but she quickly sighed and said, "It was for her own good. She's only been on earth for a few months. She isn't used to the powers that comes with it, here she is less likely to hurt anyone who can't take it. Superman and Batman both know of the situation."

"No one asked me if _I_ was okay with it!" Kara exclaimed.

The only reaction she got from Percy was a look of almost appraisal. She met it with another hostile glare, "What are you looking at?"

He didn't respond, instead turning back to the Amazons, "So when are we going to get started on those trials?"

Hippolyta and Diana both looked relieved at the change of subject, while Kara looked pissed at being ignored. "If you are still willing, we can start with the agility trials."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Sounds fun, lead the way." He turned back to his friends, "Come on guys!"

As the team made to follow them, and the Amazons began to lead them towards heaven knows what, Kara, not knowing what else to do, made to follow them, but froze as she felt a surprisingly firm grip on her arm. She turned to see Percy with a dangerous look in his eye as he whispered, "If you try anything else, remember that my friend," he gestured to Tyson, "Will be there to stop you, and so will I."

She glanced back at the cyclops with a snort, "I'm not afraid of you, or some freak, no matter how strong he sis."

When she looked back, she expected to see the same deadly look, but was met with a much worse look of irritation. He pointed at her meaningfully, "That's strike two."

With that he left to join the others, Mrs. O'Leary growling at her before following him. leaving the Kryptonian to wonder what the first strike was, as well as why she felt so unsettled by the strange new hero. M She soon shook the thoughts off however and jogged to catch up with the group.

 **A spinning trident flies across the screen for a transition, da na-na da na-na na!**

The heroes stared at the sight before them in awe.

"This can't be legal," Wally muttered.

"This is like a dream!" Robin exclaimed

"I suppose it is quite impressive," Diana spoke up, trying and failing not to sound smug.

Before them was what could only be described as an obstacle course, though that didn't do it justice. It consisted of a seemingly endless amount of climbing equipment, monkey bars, rope swings, strange mixes of the two, as well as several ramps and blocky structures made for training parkour skills. However, all of that seemed to be a warm up for the main attraction. At the back of the course was the face of a mountain, that looked unnaturally like someone had taken a knife and cut it off here, so it was a straight vertical climb to the peak. There were also several areas where waterfalls cascaded down the wall and disappeared into what Percy sensed to be underground tunnels to an aqueduct. Much of the equipment was being used by Amazons, a few even tackling the climb to the peak.

Hippolyta cleared her throat "The equipment before us is all designed specifically to test one to their physical limits, taking them on is no… laughing…" she trailed off as Robin suddenly shot forward and leapt onto some of the equipment, expertly swinging and meandering his way through the course, at the same speed that many of the older amazons were going if not faster. Meanwhile, Mrs. O'Leary raced after him, following him along the course from below and barking at him the whole time. Percy chuckled at the display, as did the others, t wasn't often they were reminded how young Robin was. "Well… he is quite spry."

"He is Batman's apprentice," Diana informed her mother, who simply hummed in understanding. Diana then looked at me, "The Trial is getting to the top of the mountain. As you can see, some areas have waterfalls, to make it the handholds slicker and more difficult, as well as give one the resistance of all that water pouring down on them, however in your case I assume it would be more of a boon than anything else, correct?

Percy smirked, "Afraid so. That's why we had lava on our rock wall at camp, though it wasn't as tall."

The Amazons stared at him for a moment before moving on, deciding to pretend he didn't say that, "The condition to pass the trial is to finish in under ten minutes."

Percy stared up at the wall thinking carefully. It was definitely taller than the cliffs of Polyphemus' island, which were his highest climb to date, but he was much stronger now than back them, and he had kept in practice with the camp wall. "That seems fair. What's the record?"

"Two seconds." Kara stated snarkily, before getting smacked in the back of the head by Diana, causing her to glare back at her.

"Flying doesn't count. I hold the record at two minutes." Diana stated proudly

Percy looked thoughtful before grinning at the others, "Alright then, looks like we're beating that record."

Dian simply scoffed but said nothing as the others looked at him skeptically. Superboy however was the first to step forwards, "I'm in."

Percy smirked, "good, but you're not allowed to dig your hands or feet into the mountainside for support. The same goes for you Tyson." Superboy cursed under his breath while Tyson smiled nervously.

Percy glanced at Raven but she quickly shook her head, "I'll just… Wait at the top. Come on girl. "she started flying to the top, picking the hellhound UPW ITH HER MAGIC.

Percy turned to Wally and Artemis. The speedster instantly backed away with his hands up, "Oh no, I'm a runner not a climber."

"Oh, come on!" Artemis exclaimed , grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him forward, "I'll make sure you don't fall."

M'gann looked nervous, "So there aren't any safety measures?"

Hippolyta raised an eyebrow, "one does not get safety measures in the real world."

Aqualad put a hand on her shoulder, "It will be alright M'gann, we are all more than capable of this."

The Martian rubbed her arm, "Yeah… but even so, I think I'll fly behind you and keep an eye on everyone, just in case you know? I'm not feeling very competitive, sorry Percy."

The team leader smirked at her, "Hey, don't apologize for wanting to look out for us." He turned to where Robin was doing flip after midair spin, on the equipment , attracting a small group of Amazons who were impressed by the young man's skills, "Hey Boy Wonder!"

Robin fell down to the pole he was flipping on and glared at his leader, as he usually did when someone called him by that nickname, "What?"

Percy pointed at the wall, "Wanna climb that mountain?"

The thirteen-year-old looked up at the rock face for a moment before turning back, "I'm good."

Artemis snorted, "Oh what? the ninja boy is scared for once?"

Robin rolled his eyes, which was hard to convey with sunglasses on, but he somehow managed, "I can do a lot of amazing stuff, but I'm not certain I'm physically developed enough to make it up that thing. Ask me again in two or three years."

Percy almost protested, but stopped himself, remembering that while he might have been able to do this at thirteen, it was because of his godly side. Robin was just human, which, considering all the other stuff he's capable of, was pretty amazing.

"Forgoing pride for wisdom, he truly is the Batman's protégé." Everyone jumped at the sudden appearance of the goddess of the Hearth, as none of them had noticed her approaching.

Percy stepped back, "Geeze, DON'T sneak up on us like that!"

Hestia frowned, 'I didn't, I simply teleported here."

That caused Percy to frown, "But there wasn't any…"

Hestia cocked her head curiously, "Any what?"

He shook his head, "Never mind, so are we doing this?"

Several chairs were brought for the goddess and the amazon leaders to sit and watch on, but only Hestia chose to sit. As the preparations were made, more and more Amazons started to gather to watch the affair.

At the center of attention was Percy, Superboy, Aqualad, Tyson, a reluctant Wally, and Artemis. They had all been changed out into more athletic attire. The guys were all in loose pants provided by the amazons, as well as padded gloves so they didn't cut their fingers. Artemis wore similar pants and gloves as well as what looked like a thicker version of a sports bra to cover her chest.

The revealing outfits were probably meant to increase mobility, but now all it did was draw stares. Wally, though the slimmest, was still very toned due to his connection with the Speed force, as well as his own workout regime. Kaldur was bulkier and had his tattooed dark skin to make him stand out. Superboy on the other hand was pure muscle and power, Tyson wasn't exactly toned like the others, but anyone could tell that while he was a bit soft, his muscles were what made up most of his bulk.

The one that had the most attention however, was of course Percy. He wasn't as bulky as Tyson, or as powerful as Superboy, but he was larger than Wally, and much more toned than anyone else there. The thing that drew the eyes however was the horrific collection of scars he bore. As with regular women, the Amazons like a few scars, it was like a badge of honor for warriors, but the most prominent scars were obviously not from battle, but from Tartarus.

This didn't stop them from fantasizing however. Percy noticed the looks he was getting, and it surprised and slightly scared him. He had a quick flashback to the men in jumpsuits the other Amazons kept, but quickly dismissed it. He had gotten the impression that these amazons were similar to Artemis' group, but that was obviously not the case.

He received several whistles and compliments, as did the other guys. Even Artemis got some attention, they were Greek after all. Of course, they never went too far, they had pride after all.

When a few whistled at Wally, Artemis glanced at him, expecting an enthusiastic response, but was disappointed to find him looking straight ahead. She frowned at him, "Dude what are you doing?"

He looked at her in confusion, "What?"

"They're literally hitting on you! aren't you going to do _anything_?"

He frowned at her, "What is your problem? I thought you didn't like my flirting, like _everyone_ else. Well guess what I've stopped, shouldn't you be happy?"

She glared at him, "We just wanted you to focus on the mission Wally, not throw away your entire personality."

At that they were both glaring at each other, and they might have fought some more, if not for a loud conch horn sounding.

Percy couldn't help but smile at the nostalgia of it, before turning to see the source was a guard next to Hippolyta. She quickly stepped back as the Queen stepped forward, "Sisters! It is time to test Perseus in our Trials. While we have not proven the validity of his claim to be correct, he has gained favor with Hestia herself. As you can see, some of his companions have chosen to take the trial with him. We only thought fair to allow this, as from Diana has just told me, we have stolen them away from celebrating his "birthday", which is a tradition the outside world practices to celebrate the day of one's birth. While we may not find such a practice necessary, we will respect our guests' practices. Now, heroes, get ready." The climbers approached the mountainside, "Climb!"

Superboy was the first one off, getting a bit of a head start with an enhanced jump before grabbing the side of the mountain. The others followed soon after.

Superboy headed straight to the waterfall, apparently wanting the extra challenge, as did Artemis and wally, who seemed to be forced to follow Artemis. Percy, Tyson, and Kaldur, all decided to avoid the water, as it would do nothing but help them along. As they climbed up, M'gann hovered worriedly in the air behind them, ready to catch anyone who needed it.

What was at first a fairly easy climb, soon turned much more difficult. The hand holds became fewer and far between, occasionally forcing them to leap to the next spot. Other places had rocks jutting out, forces them to crawl over them, using tiny hand holds that they had to use to hold their whole-body weight until they could find a place to rest their feet. It was made worse for those with water pouring down on them and making their grips more slippery.

Superboy had been in the lead at first, but that was soon not the case. As he made his way up the mountain, his impatience had cost him several times, as he had not checked his next hand hold before reaching for it, when he realized it was not good enough, he would already be falling down the mountain a bit, before he caught another hand hold and angrily went back up again.

Tyson was doing no better. It would have been easy for him to simply tunnel his own way up the mountain with brute strength, but he was determined to play by the rules. However his poor depth perception made judging how much force he needed to get to the next point very difficult, and while he could usually use other senses to make up the difference, the roaring of the waterfalls near him as well as the roaring of the enthusiastic amazons beneath them made it hard to do so, so he often found himself falling just short of going way to far above his target.

Kaldur was far more coordinated than them and was doing quite well ahead of both of them, but he was still leagues behind Percy.

The team leader had been excited for the little competition, it reminded him a lot of his races on the lava wall back at camp. As soon as he started his brain went into overdrive. His ADHD usually made it easy to make quick decisions, but nowadays it was on another level. This made it easy for him to decide what the best route was quickly. He remembered when he was younger, how he had to struggle to support his body weight when climbing. That struggle was now gone, as his current strength was capable of far heavier things than his own weight. He was far nimbler because of this, and that paired with his quick thinking made the climb fairly easy.

Artemis and Wally on the other hand, were not doing as well.

"Why did you choose the waterfall path?" Wally yelled over the rush of water pouring over them. He and Artemis were in last place, with Artemis a few feet over him. They were several yards below any of the others, and had several near deaths already, much to M'gann's concern.

"What are you yelling at _me_ for?" she called back "You didn't have to follow me!"

"You practically dragged me with you!" He exclaimed, before sputtering as some water got in his mouth.

"Oh, come on, we both know if you wanted to go your own way you could have. That's what the old you would have done!"

"This again?" The speedster huffed, "What do you want from me? To start flirting with anyone I find attractive? Like you?"

The Archer glared down at him, "Excuse me? I do not do that!"

He scoffed, "Oh please, you didn't even try to hide it with Percy, I bet you'll go after Superboy next right?"

She stared down at him, and for a moment, it seemed that she was going to say something more, but decided against it, choosing instead to keep climbing upward, as if the water wasn't even there. The speedster stared up at her for a few moments more, before grumbling and following after.

Meanwhile, Percy was nearing the top, and he was barely tired. A few large leaps later, and he was crawling up from the wall, onto the flattened ground of the peak. There he saw Raven sitting cross legged reading a book. And Petting Mrs. O'Leary, who rushed to greet him when he pulled himself up. She glanced up at him, "That was fast."

He took a moment to catch his breath before asking, "What was my time?"

Raven closed her book, "Like…. 2:15, something like that?"

"Indeed," The goth girl jumped before standing up to find Hestia sitting behind her, tending to a fire that wasn't there before, and in her younger form. "The look on Diana's face was quite amusing."

Percy again had a look of confusion on his face, which Hestia recognized, "You seem concerned about the nature of my transportation.'

He frowned before saying, "Yeah well… in my world, whenever gods teleported, we would call it "flashing", because there was always a flash of light when they did it."

Hestia looked at him with interest , "Really? And why is that?"

He looked reluctant to say his next words, but he eventually did so, "Apparently they enter their Divine Forms to do it. It's their most powerful form, strong enough to kill demigods and mortals just from seeing them."

Hestia's eyes widened at his, "I see… it's alright to ask Percy."

"…You don't have one, do you?"

She smiled sadly, "No. my form, whatever I chose it to be, is purely physical, in a sense. It seems that while we have similarities, we are an entirely different type of being from your gods."

Percy took a seat, as did Raven, who watched the interaction with interest, "Yeah I was afraid of that."

"Tell me Percy, this Divine Form you speak of, do you have one?"

The idea made Percy Wince, "I… don't know. I haven't gone into it for sure. With the way my powers are, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't have one."

Hestia's lips quirked, "Well I very much would." She waited for him to look at her questioning before continuing, "The amount of power your ichor contains, I wouldn't be surprised if it could be released in such a… fashion, or form if you will. The fact that you can't access all that power is puzzling, and concerning, so I've been examining you from every angle, trying to figure out what it is. I think I have an idea, but I'll let you say at dear," she smiled at Raven."

The girl looked at the goddess in surprise, "What? I mean—sorry…"

"Relax dear. I can tell you are very talented at the mystic arts. You've been around him longer than I have, you must have a theory."

Raven slowly nodded, "I do… but I'm nowhere near sure enough— "

"Oh hush. You can never be sure of a theory. Come on now, he deserves to know don't you think?"

"Raven?" Percy asked, "What is she talking about? Are you keeping something from me?"

"No!" Raven said quickly, "I mean… yes—but not in that way. I'm still not sure if I'm right— "

"Just say it." Percy said, trying hard not to sound forceful, though he was very curious.

Raven nodded, "I wasn't sure if it was just a part of you or not, since you are from another universe, I didn't know what to expect, but the ore I examine it, the more I think it's… a seal."

Percy blinked, "A seal?"

"Yes, one that restrains your power into a mortal form." Hestia commented.

He raised an eybre0ow at this, "That seems a bit on the nose don't you think? I figured it would be something a bit more complicated."

"It's not as on the nose as you'd think." Raven EXPLLAINED, "The potential of your ichor is astounding. Whatever spell was used to hold that power back required an unreal amount of energy itself. No normal magician is capable of it. It would have to be a god or— "

"No." Hestia interrupted, "No god of this world could do this on their own, or at least I couldn't. maybe if some worked together. Perhaps… three…."

Percy sighed, "Right… tell me Hestia are the Fates just as annoying here?"

The goddess shrugged, "I wouldn't know, I've never met them."

Percy groaned as he stood up, pacing back and forth on the mountain peak, "So the fates sent me here, but they also sealed my power? Why? What was the point? Unless… no never mind."

"What is it Percy?" Raven asked.

He stopped pacing before turning to the two, "You say this seal would have taken the power of three gods. What if there was something more powerful, like a primordial?"

"Like Gaea?" Hestia asked, realized where he was going,

"Right. She was who I was fighting before I came here. Maybe when… whatever happened to make me a god happened, she put the seal on me to make sure I couldn't use my power."

Raven frowned at this, "I don't know… sealing spells are tricky. They're usually tied to the caster's life force somehow. There needs to be a connection. One between dimensions is possible, but between different universes…"

Percy blinked, "Oh, well then it definitely wasn't her."

"Don't be so sure Percy," Hestia spoke up, "We must simply keep an open— "

"No I'm sure. You said it had to have a connection to her life force. She's dead, I killed her."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hestia's face went extremely pale, while Raven's eyes widened. Meanwhile, a dark hand reached up from the drop-off, before pulling up the tired body of Kaldur. He looked up and blinked at the scene before him, "Am I intruding on something?"

 **Meanwhile, farther down the wall**

"It's not the flirting I want back." Artemis spoke up, interrupting the silence that had befallen her and Wally.

The speedster looked up at hereafter his tenth near slip. "What?"

She looked back down with a determined face, her anger gone, "It wasn't the flirting I liked about the old you, it was the fact that no matter what anybody said about it, you didn't care. You kept your spirits up, no matter the situation, you lightened the mood. God knows we need it from time to time… or is it gods? Never mind, the point is you haven't just changed your personality, you've suppressed it, even the good parts."

He looked away, "I thought canary was the psychologist… I do care what people say about it by the way. That's why I stopped remember?"

"That was different, Percy didn't just say something, he humiliated you in front of the team so you knew he was serious. Whether he went too far I'm not sure, but _you_ sure as hell took it too far."

Wally looked down, "So what? you tell me all this and I'm just supposed to go back to how it I used to be at the drop of a hat? I don't know if I can do that."

Artemis snapped her head back, "That's not what I—"the sudden movement however, threw off her balance, that combined with the constant down pour and slippery hand holds, caused her to fall backwards with a shocked expression.

As Wally watched, he found himself moving without a word. She was too far back to catch from the wall, so he leapt backwards off the wall as she was falling past him, tackling her midair and holding her tight.

As they fell through the air, he desperately tried holding her in one arm and pointing the other down, furiously spinning it to make a tornado beneath them to slow their descent, but such a feat wouldn't be easy for the Flash himself, and he was barely slowing at all.

Lucky for him, he had forgotten about the Martian lifeguard watching their ascent. The two suddenly found themselves floating in midair, suspended by the green girl's telekinesis. \

"Are you guys okay?" M'gann called out as she shot through the air towards them.

They both nodded and assured them that they were, before realizing that Wally was currently holding Artemis in his arms, bridal style. They looked at each other for a moment, but instead of letting go, Wally gave a goofy grin? "Just dropping in?"

Artemis stared at him, before shoving a hand in his face to push herself away from him, allowing herself to float away from him. "Really? That's the best thing you could come up with?"

He shrugged, "give me a break, I'm rusty."

"I'm glad to see you two are…. Alright." M'gann commented as she drew closer, giving them a strange look.

Before they could respond however, "…wooooOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHhhhhhhhhh…!" a surprised cyclops fell behind M'gann, too fast for her to react. A moment later a loud boom was heard, and the Martian's eyes widened in horror.

She flew down to the large dust cloud, "Tyson! Can you hear me? please tell me you're alright?!"

Right before she was about to dive into the cloud, Tyson's voice called out , "I'm okay !"

The dust slowly cleared to reveal Tyson on his bac kin a small crater, but apparently without a scratch on him as he gave a M'gann a thumbs up and his trademarked grin."

The worried girl sighed in relief as she lowered her teammates to the ground and the amazons gathered around the crash site, led by Robin. "You alright big guy?"

Tyson nodded quickly, "Yeah, I've survived worse."

"Oh don't tell me that…" M'gann muttered to herself while The Amazons were congratulating the cyclops on how he did with various pats on the back and handshakes, before moving on to Artemis and Wally. They cleared away as Diana and Hippolyta approached. "You all did well to make it as far as you did on the first try, but sadly you have failed the trial.

Artemis shrugged, "Yeah well, we were mostly doing it for fun anyways."

The queen chuckled at this, "I see, and did you all… have fun?"

Tyson was the first to exclaim, "Yes ma'am!" And was soon followed by the others.

Hippolyta nodded, "Well, that is good I suppose. It seems the others have finished. Apparently Superboy got a time of 6 minutes, the Atlantean 4, and Percy 2:13. That is most impressive, wouldn't you agree Diana?"

The princess' eye twitched slightly, "Indeed, he almost broke my record on his first climb."

"When will they be coming down?" Robin asked.

" _How_ will they be coming down?" M'gann asked, looking at the dangerous wall with disdain.

The answer came when Hestia, Percy, Raven, Superboy, and a happy Mrs. O'Leary appearing out of thin air. Only, Percy had his eyes closed shut, until Hestia chuckle, "Percy, I told you don't need to close your eyes."

His eyes opened, blinking a few times before he blushed slightly, "Right, sorry, old habits I guess."

Diana walked forward first, "Percy, that was… quite impressive. You have passed our first trial."

The hero nodded enthusiastically, "Great. That was actually pretty fun. What's next?"

The princess bit her tongue as he referred to one of the most grueling parts of her childhood as "fun" "Come, I will show you."

The next few trials were pretty basic in comparison to the first. One was to see how competent Percy was with various weapons. He explained that he was about a century out of practice with anything other than a sword, as he had practiced the movements whenever he got chance in his prison, despite Riptide being confiscated. Nevertheless, his masterful demonstration of sword skills, his natural talent with wielding tridents, and his basic understanding of knifework, after years of watching a master with it, was enough to pass him. He also impressed even himself when he went to the archery range. He and Artemis ended up having a bit of a contest, one that ended with a very upset Artemis. While he seemed to be equally skilled with her after the Cheshire incident, his superior strength and inhuman reflexes gave him an edge over his teammate. He ended up having to promise he wouldn't take up archery during team missions, to make her feel better, it wasn't like he was planning on it.

After that was a wrestling match. He was set up against a few Amazon who, unknown to the heroes, had one a previous competition the amazons had been having since they heard some of them would get to wrestle Perseus. He managed to win each match, not for lack of the amazons trying, but he left each one feeling slightly uncomfortable. He also noticed a blatantly envious stare form Wally, which might have normally annoyed him, but with all that had happened, he found it to be a pleasant surprise. He figured he was going to have to talk to him about his recent attitude, but it looks like he had figured it out without his help.

After the wrestling was a swimming trial. Needless to say, he aced that, even putting on a bit of a show for the Amazons, one he thinks they enjoyed.

The final trial was probably the one everyone was most excited about: Combat.

He was put in a large arena, akin to the Coliseum. Again, the stands were filled with Amazons, eager to see the Hero of Olympus in action.

Percy was behind his gate, waiting to be called out with his friends. He was given a set of armor that surprised him by fitting him perfectly. When he asked the Amazon who gave it to how they knew his size, they told him that they have armor in every size just in case. I guess that's what you do when you have too much time on your hands

"You know you don't have to do this right?" M'gann said for the tenth time, "The queen said you can back out whenever— "

"M'gann _relax!"_ Percy exclaimed, putting his hands on her shoulders, "What has you so riled up? I don't think you've calmed down since you came here."

She sighed, "Well, how could I? this entire island is filled with women eager to take a sword to you, either in good sport or…"

Percy blinked, "Or what?"

She sighed, "I've been scanning some thoughts at random."

Superboy grunted, "I thought you'd stopped doing that."

"I had!" She assured them, "But… after our initial arrival I was worried, so started again. I wasn't sure whether they were going to be good guys or not. Most of them turned friendly after your explanation, but some took it a different way…"

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"I think I have an idea," Kaldur spoke up, "With all the feats Percy have accomplished, some may see him as a goal to overcome."

"Overcome?" Tyson asked nervously, "You mean…"

"Kill." M'gann confirmed.

"So, doing all those things made them want to kill him?" Artemis asked in confusion.

Percy snorted, "More like "if I can kill him, then it's like _I_ did all those great deeds" or something along those lines. They think taking me down will be glorious or something." He turned to the surprised Martian, "It's okay M'gann, I've dealt with people like them before. Heck the whole Ares cabin was basically like that. I can handle it."

The Martian still frowned but nodded in acceptance. Just then the conch horn signaled again, signaling it was time for the fighters to come out.

Percy put the finishing touches on his armor straps, and put on the classic plume helmet, with the fro dyed blue, go figure.

He made his towards the door, before pulling Riptide out of his pocket, palming it for a moment before opening the doors.

he had a small flashback of my gladiator match with Antaeus. Before chuckling at how that as one of is more pleasant memories nowadays.

Standing across the arena was a rather Tall amazon WITH LONG brown hair tied into a ponytail behind her. she wielded a standard sword and shield.

Before anyone could say anything, Percy started making is way across the arena.

The warrior's eyes widened, and she readied her spear, "Halt! We are to wait until the Queen signals us to start!"

He held up his hand in surrender, "I know, relax. I just want to check something." He then uncapped Riptide, causing the amazon to flinch back and murmurs to spread through the crowd above them.

Hippolyta watched this with interest from her spot beside Diana and Hestia. "That's quite a sword. Did he mention where he got it?"

Diana shook her head, "No, but he said it was made out of "celestial bronze", a material mined from Mount Olympus itself. It apparently only hurts monsters and gods, while passing through mortal humans harmlessly."

"Really?" Hestia spoke up, "That's quite convenient…"

The Amazon eyed Percy warily as he urged her to touch the flat of his blade, "This isn't some kind of trick is it?"

Percy rolled his eyes, "What would be the point? I'm just trying to test something, you won't get hurt either way, I swear on the Styx."

Thunder boom overhead, solidifying his promise. After a few moments of uncertainty, the amazon went to touch Riptide.

Her hand went right through.

The Amazon waved her hand through the blade a few times, while Percy watched in confusion, "Huh… weird."

"How will you fight with such a blade?" the amazon asked, "If it can't touch me—"

 _CLANG_

She stumbled back in surprise ads Riptide was whipped around to strike her own sword, not knocking it out of her hand, but sending the message nonetheless, "It can still block and parry. How about… if my sword goes through your neck or torso, or if I disarm you, the match will be mine. Deal?"

The Amazon narrowed her eyes, "Just those areas? Why not if you go through my limbs or such?"

"You could still survive e that, I've seen guys lose arms keep on fighting. Plus, I like a challenge. So, is it a deal?"

The Amazon nodded, and Percy walked back to his spot. Once he was ready, he clicked his watch and readied his own shield, before waiting for the queen to signal their start.

Hippolyta stood up and spoke to the crowd, "Sisters! Our guest, Perseus Jackson, has proved himself in every trial so far, as well as his retelling of his prior feats. Personally, I find this unnecessary, but due to his willingness, and all of your eagerness to face him, we will continue with our last trial. Ten of our best Warriors have been chosen to fight him. Regardless of whether he wins each one, let it be known, that Percy has already proven himself a mighty ally of the Amazons. Without further ado, let us begin.

At this, the Amazon let out a battle cry and charged towards Percy. As she approached, Percy simply stood still and analyzed his opponent.

In the old days, he would have charged as well. He was really quite reckless back then. He was lucky enough to have talent to back him up, but that didn't make it that much better. With all the time he had in Tartary, he had kept his mind busy with thoughts of his fighting style, battle tactics, or anything else that he could think of to keep the madness at bay.

Perses made sure he didn't have enough free time to do exercises. The little time he had he spent keeping his swordsmanship movements up to par. He wasn't able to get much stronger down there, but he would have been damned(er) if he wouldn't become wiser.

So as the Amazon charged, he watched. He noticed her obvious strength, as well as her subtle weaknesses. She was favoring her left leg, though she was trying hard not to show it. She was holding her sword in her right hand and looked to be preparing a swing. He knew what to do.

As soon as she was on him and swinging her sword, he began moving. He simultaneously, ducked down to dodge the sword, while also moving his left leg forward. Once the sword had passed overhead, h leaned on his left leg and began pivoting on it, twisting his body to the right, around the amazon. She saw this, and tried to move her shield to block, but she couldn't turn to her left fast enough with her leg injury, so she could do nothing as he finished his twist by slicing Riptide through her torso, finishing the match in a single, calculated movement.

The Amazon was frozen in shock, as was the rest of the crowd, but for a different reason. To them, having not been alerted to the nature of Riptide, that looked like a fatal blow. They were about to storm down and take revenge for her sister, when the Amazon in the arena started moving again, completely fine.

She turned to Percy, who was falling back into a relaxed stance, giving her an apologetic look. Fortunately, she didn't need to as she broke out in a huge grin, "What was _that?_ That was glorious! How did you notice my leg so fast?"

Percy was surprised at first, expecting her to be mad like the Ares cabin often was, but he smiled in relief when he realize he was wrong, "The way you rolled your foot as your ran, I could tell you were trying not to put too much pressure on it. I got to say though, to be selected as one of the best fighters, come out here, and run that fast with a leg injury is pretty impressive."

She smiled proudly as she sheathed her sword, "Thank you friend, you are actually the first to notice. Truth be told, if the others had known I likely wouldn't be here, for good reason I suppose…"

Percy simply smirked, "Hey I get it. Sometimes in battle you have to fight with a limp, or a stump."

"Ahem!" they both looked up to see their audience staring at them in confusion, the one who had gotten their attention, Hippolyta looked at them in confusion, "Perhaps I missed something, is the match over?"

Percy's opponent blushed a bit at how arrived away she had gotten. She immediately bowed apologetically, "Please excuse me my queen. I yield, the victor is Perseus.

That caused various reactions. Some amazons cheered him on, while others cried out in disappointment at the quick victory.

The defeated Amazon turned to leave, but Not before Percy called out, "Hey! What's your name?"

She turned back in surprise, apparently not expecting the question, but she quickly smiled and answered, "Zosime!"

Percy bid her farewell, before preparing himself for the next fight.

The next few fights went pretty similar. Some of them lasted a little longer than Zosime, but none of them could match up to the demigod.

This continued to perplex the Amazons. They had millennia to hone their skills, while he claimed to have a few decades. Logistically it made no sense. The fact of the matter was, they had spent millennia practicing the same sword style, isolated from most other forms in the world and therefore unable to advance with him. Percy on the other hand, came from a world where the Greek style had been evolved through the years of demigods that came before him, and tested against gods and titans who wielded the same style. And of course, he had the blood of a god, making him naturally better at fighting in general.

As he continued through his opponents, his teammates watched from the front of the stands, wanting to be as close as possible just in case, while Mrs., O'Leary roamed around the stands, greeting an licking anyone she could.

Eventually however their attention was drawn away from the fight, as a certain blonde Kryptonian suddenly dropped down to the seat next to Superboy, instantly crossing her arms and avoiding eye contact, not flinching when the entire team stood up I defensive stances. "Relax, I'm not here to fight."

"Yeah well that doesn't make you welcome here!" Wally exclaimed, trying his hardest not to flinch as the powerhouse shot him an angry look.

She did nothing about it however, instead turning to Superboy who had his arms up in defense next to her, "Is it true what he said?"

The clone looked at her in irritated confusion, "What?"

She glared at him, "What Percy said, about you being a clone, almost brainwashed, is it true?"

He snarled, "What's it to you?"

She sighed in aggravation, "An hour ago I thought there were only two people like me left in the universe, now I find out I was wrong, of course I'm going to want to know more!"

"Have you considered maybe approaching him about it calmly, instead of scaring the hell out of everyone around you?" Robin spoke up.

Kara leaned past Superboy to narrow her eyes at Robin. She studied him closely before concluding, "You're just a human…"

Robin only raised an eyebrow while Artemis stepped forward with that, "Yeah, so am I, got a problem with that?"

For once, Kara's eyes widened as she was caught off guard, "What? No! I was just surprised is all! The only human I know that's been here is Bat…man…" She trailed off as she looked back at Robin, before sniffing and narrowing her eyes, "Oh, you're one of _his._ "

Robin could sense the obvious distaste e in her voice, and wanted to ask where it was coming from, but Superboy spoke first, "What did you want to know?"

Kara looked at him in surprise, before sighing, "Can you all just sit down and relax first? You're giving me anxiety," She then muttered under her breath, "it's not like it will do you any good."

Superboy was the only one who heard, but nevertheless sat back down, followed soon by t the rest of the team. Even Mrs. O'Leary stopped Growling and settled down at Raven's fee, not taking her eyes off Kara.

Finally, Kara asked, "how about your name? you already know mine, and I'm assuming, Kal's."

"Who is Kal?" Superboy asked, causing Kara to look at him in shock.

"Wow… okay guess I was wrong, but seriously what's your name?"

Superboy was quiet for a moment, not reacting until he felt Tyson pat on the back reassuringly from his seat next to him. He sighed, "Superboy. I don't have another one yet."

Kara winced, "Oh… I guess the people who… made you… didn't give you one."

"They did not." Superboy agreed angrily, which led to another awkward silence.

Eventually she Asked, "So… why aren't _you_ the leader of this team?"

That made everyone look at her in confusion, "What?"

She didn't flinch, "I mean, Percy said you literally overcame brainwashing to help the team. You may not have all of K—superman's Powers but it looks like you have enough. Wouldn't you be the ideal choice?"

The team was silent for a moment before Robin, Artemis, and Wally burst out laughing, causing Superboy to sneer.

"Who wants to explain why she's wrong?" Artemis asked

"Should we explain it chronologically or alphabetically?" Robin asked back.

"She gets it!" Superboy barked, bringing the laughter to an abrupt stop, before turning back to Kara, "I'm not leader material"

Kara snorted, "Aren't you literally made from Superman's DNA? He leads the Justice league!"

"Debatable," Robin commented.

"Look I'm not trying to sound insulting or anything, but Kryptonians have faster brain functions, superior anatomy, and we were leagues ahead of earths technology before… How are you not the best choice?"

Superboy snarled at her, "A: I'm never _wanted_ the position, B: I'm not some Kryptonian Supremacist like you are."

"I am not—"

"You sure sound like it," Wally muttered.

"And C: Percy is leagues ahead of you and I! he may not look it but he's a better hero than all of us combined!"

The other team members were a little surprised to hear such high words from the resident hot head, as he usually didn't speak to highly of anyone, but all of them agreed.

Kara looked down at where Percy was battling against his sixth Amazon, "Him? So, what he's part god. Or something I've heard Superman has defeated gods' multiple times. What's he ever done?"

M'gann was the first to break the stunned silence with, "You really should have been at the trial."

Superboy actual seemed angrier at her words, "What's so special? How about you fight him yourself then come back and tell me!"

The group flinched before wally asked "Uh… SB? Are you sure—"

"It's okay!" Tyson assured them, "Percy always wins his spars with me!"

"Yes, Tyson but even if you are as strong as superman, he has much more precise control over it." The cyclops pouted before Kaldur added, "However, I do believe Superboy is right. You should see for yourself why he is our team leader."

"Kaldur!" M'gann exclaimed, but apparentl6y it was too late, as Kara had already floated away towards Diana and Hippolyta. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

The Atlantean only gave her a reassuring smile, "Have faith M'gann, he will be alright, it is only a spar after all." He looked back at Percy's match, he was working on his seventh Amazon now, and was quickly nearing victory, "If anything, I believe this might be the best thing for her."

"How do you mean? Robin asked.

"I think the best thing for her might be a step down off her Kryptonian high horse." Wally spat.

Aqualad SIGHED, "It is true that she has a less than ideal attitude, especially compared to Superman, but we must remember that Superman's planet was destroyed, making them the only two of their, kind left. She might not have come to terms with that as her cousin has."

That caused many hearts to sink, especially with how much sense it made. "So you think he will somehow resolve her issues?" Raven asked, not meaning to sound incredulous, but managing it anyway.

"you cannot deny that he has a certain way of getting through to people." Kaldur RESPONDED.

"And if it doesn't work?" Raven asked.

Kaldur shrugged "I will be quite the interesting fight don't you think?"

Percy sliced through his opponents' neck, passing through harmlessly and ending another match. The amazon, realizing what happened growled in irritation, before turning and stalking out of the field.

Percy frowned and called after her, "Good fight!"

She didn't respond, choosing the sore loser route instead.

Percy sighed disappointed that she couldn't have been as good a sport as the ones that came before here, only to be further disappointed by who came next.

She was a slightly towering women, with hair cut short and a multitude of scars adorning her, showing that she was what Percy thought of as a "battle enthusiast" . she held a spear and shield with a. cheap depiction of medusa on it. Apparently, she was a cheap imitation of Thalia, only older and less attractive.

She entered the ring boisterously, shouting to the stands in ancient Greek, " _I think our guest has gone on long enough, who wants to see me kick hiss pompous ass?"_

Percy was happy to see a majority of the Amazons did not join in on the applause that followed, but still, there were some who were quite enthusiastic.

The warrior then turned to Percy and gave him a laughably fake smile, "Just getting the crowd excited. I hope to have a good fight Perseus!"

The son of Poseidon could only smirk at her. he considered telling er now that he understood what she said but decided to have a little fun first. "As do I!"

The fight started with the two circling each other, which surprised Percy, as he took her for the charge right away type. In the end he decided to make the first move, which caused her to smile wickedly. She set herself in an admittedly skilled stance, looking to have him impale himself on her spear with his approach. it was easy enough to pull off, if you were fast enough at positioning the spear at the last minute, but Percy was counting on her doing that.

As he drew close, she quickly set her spear at the ready, only for him to lunge forward at the last minute, twisting his body in a corkscrew midair and slicing her spear in half, before turning right side up and skidding to a stop next to her with his sword up, bringing it straight through her neck with ease.

She was frozen, much like his first opponent but less in shock, more in shame. Before she could gather herself, he whispered in ancient Greek, "I don't know where you got pompous from, but how is kicking my ass going?"

The look on his face was priceless to say the least . she practically ran out of the arena.

The last two were much more sportsmanlike, and actually lasted longer than a minute, so all in all it was quite enjoyable for Percy.

After he had finished talking with his last opponent, he turned to Hippolyta, who was standing to give an announcement. "Perseus! You have successfully defeated all ten of your opponents." She then developed a slightly mischievous look, "I suppose now is as good as any time to tell you that you only had to defeat five to pass"

Percy shrugged, "That's fine, it's been a while since I've had a good swordfight,"

Hippolyta nodded, and looked to be about to say something else, when a very nervous Diana whispers something in her ear. Hippolyta looked at her daughter as if she were insane for a moment, before sighing in exasperation and turning back to Percy, "it seems… there is one more who wishes to challenge you. Please know that no one will judge you if you retire now, most amazons would be close to exhausted n your position." Percy hadn't yet broken a sweat, "But we would all be very thankful, if you could manage to teach our Kara some humility."

Percy was surprised at first, before smiling wickedly, "A swordfight? Hippolyta nodded, "With a Kryptonian?" Hippolyta nodded, a bit more slowly, "Sounds like fun. Bring her out."

He was rewarded for that statement by the Kryptonian shooting down from the sky and landing across from him in a matter of seconds, slightly cratering the ground underneath her and sending up dust.

Once the dust had cleared enough for him to see her, he saw that she was wearing the usual Amazonian armor, and holding a single Greek style sword, similar to Riptide.

After taking her in or a moment he had only one thing to say: "Is this like a thing with you? whatever happened to just walking places like a normal godsdamn person?"

She sneered at him, "Are you ready to fight or not?"

He chuckled, "Well someone's eager. Give me a moment." He began unfastening his armor.

Kara looked at him as if he were crazy, "What are you doing? You do realize I'm gonna be your hardest opponent, today right?"

He snorted but didn't deny it, "Maybe, that's why I'm takin it off. I fight best without being weighed down or constricted. You can take yours off too if you want, it won't do you any good either, not that you need it."

She straightened up at that, "True. I am wondering what your plan is though. I wouldn't really judge you if you called of the fight, I'm invulnerable after all."

Percy looked up at her in disbelief, "Wow! You are really latching on to that hubris huh? What happened?"

She raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"In my past experience, pride like that only shows in people who are dealing with something big or are just plain assholes. You don't seem like a real asshole to me." He undid this last bracer and let it fall to the ground, "But hey I could be wrong." He looked up and nodded at Hippolyta while the Kryptonians glare intensified.

"Let the match…"

"And by the way," Percy began

"BEGIN!"

He got in a fighting stance, "I was invulnerable too, once. It's not all it's cracked up to be."

While Kara took a moment to figure out what that could be mean, she suddenly found herself having to block as Percy was in front of her already.

She was on the defensive for a few more seconds before her brain finally broke out of its stunned state. If not for her reflexes she wouldn't have lasted even that long. She soon turned the tide to her advantage by using her superior speed to go on the offensive. However, even then she couldn't manage to land a hit, finding her attempts blocked with either his sword or shield every time, and it infuriated her to no end, "How are you keeping up with me!?"

Her rage. Burned hotter when he laughed, "I'm not. What have they been teaching you here? You're telegraphing your moves like crazy. Seriously it's like reading a Dr. Seuss book."

Kara tired her best to not let her anger get the best of her. honestly, she's been trying for months, but now she felt her control slipping farther and farther away

"Maybe it has something to do with whatever happened keeping you distracted from training? I' sure someone's already told you that the best way to make someone understand is to actually talk about—"

"SHUT UP!" she shouted as she struck his shield with such force, that her own sword shattered against it.

There was a moment of silence as Percy looked at the broken blade before he said, "You seem mad."

"You couldn't _possibly_ understand! No one can! Not even my own Cousin! I lost my entire _planet!_ My parents, my friends, EVERYONE IS GONE!"

She stared at him after that, waiting for his apology or something along those lines, instead what she got was: "That sucks."

She stared at him in disbelief, her brain taking a good minute to process that casual response. When it did, her vision turned red.

With a vicious scream, she shot forward, fist raised. Now, the fight was technically over when she broke her sword, Percy knew that, but he also knew that he needed to confirm something, so he kept pushing. Now that he had, he was expecting some sort of outburst or attack.

Even knowing all that, he couldn't have anticipated the speed, force, and power the girl possesses as she shot her fist right through his torso faster than he could blink.

The stands were silent at the scene before them, most unable to comprehend what had happened, all that is, for the Team.

"BROTHER!" Tyson bellowed, before vaulting over the stands and falling to the arena floor, cratering it beneath him, before charging towards the Kryptonian. He was followed soon after by the others \, who were silently wishing this was aa bad dream.

They froze once more however, when Percy suddenly looked down showing no signs of pain. "well that's neat."

They then noticed, that instead of Kara's fist being covered in golden blood like it should be, it was instead slightly dripping with water.

Percy sighed, "Well that shirt's ruined. "He effortless ripped off his t shirt, revealing his toned and scarred body underneath, as well as revealing the giant portion of his chest that now consisted of crystal-clear water.

As he looked at the area with interest, it started to grow, which caused his smile to grow a mile "I think I could get used to this." He looked up at Kara, "Could you maybe get out of me for a moment?"

At the question the Kryptonian stumbled back with a small shriek, as her opponents body turned completely into water, while still retaining form. She could barely breath as he shot forward towards her and then through her, solidifying again behind her with his sword to her throat. "

As she was frozen in shock he whispered to her, "I may not know your pain, but I can pretty damn well imagine. You lost a planet? I lost a universe. Your friends and were gone in an instant, I had to watch mine die one at time in front of me." He felt her back shaking against his chest. "but you know what? I can't judge you. I _do_ understand a little bit, more than most people at least. Now, do you want to stop fighting, and actually talk about it?"

He waited for her to say something, anything but she remained silent and shaking. He was curious for a moment before he noticed something that confused and irritated to him to know end.

The area where he pressed Riptide against her neck was bleeding.

He let her go abruptly, letting her fall onto her knees trembling still while he looked at his sword perplexed, "What the hades is going on with you?"

He was joined a second later by his team asking if he was okay, Nd Diana, Hippolyta and Hestia transported by the goddess. Diana checked on Kara BEFORE concluding, "She's in shock, but she will be fine."

"Percy," Hippolyta spoke up, "I must extend my deepest apologies. Kara was our responsibility, yet she still attacked you in such a dishonorable way, during a spar of all things. I promise you she will be dealt with swiftly and accor—"

"Don't you think her Punishment should be up to Perseus?" Hestia spoke up with a twinkle in her eye, "He is the guest and victim after all."

Diana frowned, "I don't think—"

"Diana!" Hippolyta snapped at her daughter, sending a clear message of _don't defy the goddess_. "Of course, my lady, thank you for the suggestion. "She turned to Percy once more, "Well? What do you believe she deserves?"

All eyes were on Percy, the Amazons interested to see how cruel a punishment their newfound ally would come up with, the team worrying what their leader would do, and Kara, who was staring at him with a mixture of fear, awe, and excitement of all things.

He took a deep breath before saying, "Go tend to her neck wound first. Then I suppose her punishment will be…" he looked up at Hestia, "Returning to the cave with us."

There were a lot of different reactions, but only Hestia smiled knowingly, "Splendid choice."

 **Chapter 12!**

 **This is pretty much the "end" of the Themyscira arc. Next chapter will deal with some ramifications, but they will definitely not be on the island anymore. After that, we will start getting into some more of the episodes form the series. That will be the baseline for the plot.**

 **I've had my first job for like a month now an I'm already having to take a second one alongside it, so…. That's why updates are slower. Plus, I'm lazy lol.**


	13. Chapter 13

Percy POV 

"While I can't say it went too smoothly, I believe we all enjoyed your time on our Island Perseus.

I smiled and nodded to Hippolyta, who was seeing us off as we prepared to leave. Behind her were Hestia and an Anxious Diana. Behind me was Blackjack and the Bioship, where everyone was ready to go, as well as Kara, who hadn't said much since the fight. I was fine with that.

"Is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise Percy?" Diana blurted out for the umpteenth time. "This will only end badly I assure you."

I waved her off. "It'll be fine. I mean look she's already quieter!" To my surprise, no one laughed.

"What will you do when her cousin finds out?" Diana asked, causing me to sweat a bit.

"I'll… burn that bridge when I come to it. I'm sure once he finds out I have her best interests in mind he'll understand."

Diana sighed, "I pray you're right. There is another matter however." She lowered her voice, "Your sword cut her. That means you have a potential weapon against superman."

I blinked, "Yeah, and?"

She rolled her eyes, "Do you know how many people would kill for a weapon like that? I'm afraid… I'm going to have to bring it up at the next League meeting."

I chuckled dryly, "You can bring it up all you want, but you aren't taking Riptide from me."

"Percy—"

"Goodbye Diana." I left the heroine to sigh in disappoint mean an walked to where Hestia was waiting for her trademarked warm smile, "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you my lady."

The goddess raised an eyebrow. ""My Lady"? I thought you were done bowing to the gods."

I smirked, "I am, but from what I've seen you deserve it just as much as the other Hestia. Though I am curious. I expected to be brought to Olympus, the gods of my world loved towering over people to show how powerful they are. Where is it these days if you don't mind me asking?"

She blinked, "What do you mean?

"Well our Olympus is located over the Empire State Building in New York. Is yours still in Greece or…"

Hestia hesitated, "In your terms, I would say Olympus is its own dimension, one we gods reside in. As for why I didn't bring you, it is quite difficult for any but us to go there, and the situation on Olympus is… Delicate at the moment."

I tensed, "Like possible-war-between-the-gods-that-could-destroy-the-world delicate?"

Her eyes widened, "Forgive me, I should have considered your history. Rest easy, the world is safe. In fact, Zeus wished to congratulate you himself, you and your brother that is."

I raised an eyebrow, "So I had the favor of Zeus himself and you couldn't tell the Ama—you know what it doesn't matter. Why does he want to congratulate me?"

"Apparently you saved his daughter from a rather revolting mortal. He would be here himself, but the king of the gods walking on earth rarely goes well, and Poseidon still hasn't made up his mind about you—"

"Wait a minute slow down!" I exclaimed, "Daughter? I don't remember saving Diana recently… please tell me there aren't hundreds of Demigods out there I don't know about."

Hestia put a hand on my shoulder, "Relax, that is not the case. The gods of this world are significantly more… reserved than yours, but it seems Zeus will be Zeus, no matter what Universe he's in. The child is safe. She won't face the dangers you have, and when the time comes, you will likely meet her again."

I sighed, muttering my irritation at Zeus before nodding, "As long as she's safe I guess."

"Indeed." The goddess then turned Serious, lowering her voice a bit, "Remember what I said young hero, you must not let these people know of your "ordeal" with Gaea, it won't go well I assure you."

I nodded, "I'll keep it to myself, I promise."

She nodded to me, before speaking louder, "It was a pleasure to meet you young hero, I hope to do so again. Who knows, maybe we gods may have need of you."

I winced, the very thought making me want to throw up, "Just… no fetch quests please.'

Hestia chuckled, "Of course, we are not so petty. Most of the time…"

I bid farewell to her and made towards Blackjack, only to find Hippolyta already there, stroking his mane. "This is quite the beautiful creature, tell me is it the same Pegasus from the myth."

I narrowed my eyes, "No. his name is Blackjack." _What are you doing?_ _Why are you letting her pet you?_ I reached out to Blackjack telepathically.

 _Sorry boss, but she's really good! You should take pointers._

 _I already give you donuts dude, don't push it_

Our mental conversation was cut short as Hippolyta asked, "Have you ever considered breeding him?"

I nearly choked on my own spit while Blackjack froze on the spot. "N-no! No I haven't."

Hippolyta looked at me In surprise, "Is there a reason why not? If he can create offspring like him… well there could be an entire world of possibilities."

 _Wow, okay, color me creeped out…_

"It's alright buddy," I patted his neck before looking back at the queen, "The thing is I can talk to him, he has personality, he's my friend. Do you think you could force your friend to mate with some random person?"

Her eyes widened," I didn't mean… I'm deeply sorry Percy, I didn't realize—"

"I know, I wasn't making you feel bad, just painting the picture. So yeah, I won't be doing anything like that, though I'm sure Blackjack will find a nice mare one day, and when that day comes, he'll tell me, right pal?" I looked at the pegasus for confirmation, only to see him shifting and flicking his tail nervously

 _Uh… yeah about that boss…_

My eyes widened in horror for a moment before I turned towards black jack in anger, "Seriously? When?"

 _What da you think I do when I'm out and about man? Graze all day?_

I sighed loudly, causing the amazons to look at me with concern "What seems to be the problem?" Hestia asked.

I mentally asked him where and when and was astounded at the response. I threw my hands in the air in exasperation," Looks like I have _several_ soon-to-be-very-surprised farmers to visit and apologize to. Seriously Blackjack, what were you thinking?

 _Thinking really didn't have anything to do with it boss. It's not my fault the mares ere are so dazzled by me._

"Yeah well you still took advantage of it. Gods…you know what you're flying home alone now."

Blackjack literally snorted at that, _You think you can make the trip in that weird thing without me? You'll be puking your guts out!_

My eye twitched at the increasingly annoying creature, "Yeah well it'll be better than me strangling your neck midflight won't it?"

The pegasus snorted once more before galloping way into the air, drawing the eyes of every amazon around us without a doubt, the showoff.

I bid my final farewells to the amazons and climbed aboard M'gann's ship, surprising the occupants, which included a still-silent Kara.

"Where is Blackjack going?" Tyson asked.

"Away from me," I grumbled, "Apparently he has been having some "fun" with the mares in Rhode Island, which means I'm probably going to have several awkward conversations with farmers, and somehow come up with enough money to buy their mares."

The team looked at me silently for a few moments, blank faced, before all of them, save for Kara and Raven burst into laughter.

"It's not funny!" I shouted as I sat in a chair M'gann formed for me.

"I mean… it really is though." Artemis managed to get out.

"Wait!" M'gann suddenly stopped laughing, "You mean… baby pegasus….es?"

"Pegasi," I corrected, "And since I doubt Blackjack used protection, I'd wager yes."

The squeal that came from the Martian next was loud enough to make everyone on the ship cover their ears in pain, except for Tyson, who seemed just as excited, "I'll have to make stables! Just until their old enough! I've never made stables before! I could make an automated feeder, an automatic waste remover, an automatic groomer—"

"How about we automatically stop talking about this for now." I cut him off with an apologetic look. I shifted in my seat, "It's a long flight back home. Who knows? Maybe I won't get sick anymore."

 **Later**

I was wrong, I was so very very wrong.

I dry heaved for the tenth time, (the irony of which was not lost on me) as we soared over the Atlantic Ocean.

Kaldur patted me on the back, "Hang in there, it's not that much farther."

My stomach said otherwise, "Screw it, I'm jumping out, I can swim the rest of the way!"

"There's an entire continent between you and the cave!" Robin exclaimed

"Not if I swim the other way!"

M'gann floated out of her seat and put her hands on my shoulders, "Percy… I know it's hard… but you're going to have to fly like this again someday. You can't always circumnavigate the earth through the ocean."

I clutched my stomach as it continued to do somersaults, "Watch me…"

M'gann sighed before brightening up, "Oh! Why don't we open your presents!"

I blinked, looking up at her, "What? I thought we left those at the cave."

M'gann shot towards one of the walls of the ship, where a compartment shifted open, revealing the assortment of presents my friends brought to my party. "I stashed them here just in case. Maybe opening them will take your mind off throwing up?"

I felt some bile rise up in my throat at her words. Superboy scoffed, "Probably not the best choice of words."

"I'm good I'm good…" I assured them, "Alright let's do it. So… who wants to go—"

"Oh! I'll go first!" Wally exclaimed, before zipping over to the compartment and grabbing one of the colorfully wrapped boxes.

To say I was surprised was an understatement "Uh… are you sure?"

He looked back at me, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

I wasn't sure how to phrase it other than: I figured you were still butthurt over the humiliation I brought upon you. so I just said, "Uh… I don't know never mind.

He shrugged, "Okay, catch." He tossed me a shoebox sized present, which I caught easily, before giving him a look, "I assume it's not fragile then huh?"

He only smirked as I ripped the paper off to reveal… oh, it is a shoebox.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he only shrugged, "I'm a speedster, I know shoes."

I opened the box to reveal a pair of sleek navy blue sneakers, designs on the sides of black wings outlined in gold thread. At first it reminded me a little too much of the shoes Luke gave me on my first quest, the ones that were meant to drag me to Tartarus.

After a moment of looking at them though, I couldn't help but find myself liking the look of them, wings and all. "These are… actually pretty great Wally, where did you get them?"

"The Flash has a shoe guy,," He said, as if it were a normal thing to say, "I had it custom ordered. He usually makes shoes for speedsters, so they're friction resistant, and heat resistant as well. It cost a bit extra for the shot notice… but not too much, he's used to sort deadlines"

I blinked, "Wow I... I…"

"Wasn't expecting something so amazing?" Wally smirked.

"Yeah pretty much."

He chuckled, followed shortly by the others, before the speedster sobered a little "Yeah well, I did dump you in lava so…"

I just smiled and held out my hand, "As long as you promise not to do it again, I'd say we're good."

He chuckled as he grasped my hand, "Yeah yeah I promise.

Time seemed to fly faster ten. Up next was Artemis, who presented me with some canisters that she claimed contained flash frozen water, that would melt the instant they were thrown against something. Apparently, she had Green Arrow make it. She explained it could be used to get water near the enemy before they could react, as well as supply him with lots of extra water in case he didn't have any around him. She also got me a speedo… I didn't say anything about the speedo.

M'gann got me… a skin-tight body suit, for a moment I worried she had gotten bad advice from Artemis, but she quickly explained that it was programmable fabric, like what she wore. That surprised me for a moment. For some reason I thought she just shapeshifted clothing onto herself, but that would mean she was always naked. Apparently, she can program it with several outfits before linking it to me so I can change it whenever I want.

Superboy gave me… a helmet? It looked like it was supposed to a Greek helmet, but It was weirdly deformed.

"It's not done!" he quickly explained, while avoiding eye contact with everyone. "Tyson has been teaching me how to forge, and when I heard it was your birthday I thought I could make you something since I don't have any money. But I ran out of time, so I have to finish it later. sorry I couldn't get you something good."

I looked at him in sheer shock. "You made this?"

"…Yeah."

"Dude this is awesome! I've tried forging, the Hephaestus cabin spent months trying to teach me, but I couldn't even hammer a sword straight!"

Superboy was taken aback, and I could tell he had no idea where to go from here, so I helped him out and said, "It was a great present man, thank you."

He nodded, "Um, your welcome.

Apparently, Robin was in league with Artemis, as he presented me with my own bronze colored utility belt, complete with many holsters for the ice capsules, it also had various other pouches for anything I could come up with later on, and the belt buckle had a strange symbol on it. It was a simple Greek sword like Riptide, but with a pair of wings sprouting on either side of it at the hilt. When I questioned what it was supposed to be he simply responded with: "It's your symbol."

I raised an eyebrow, immediately thinking of the god's symbols of power, but something told me that wasn't Rob ins intention, "Meaning?"

Wally spoke up, "Superman has the big S on his chest, Wonder Woman has the W, Aquaman has the A on his belt—"

"Shouldn't it be a P then?"

"And Batman has the Bat symbol." Robin stated irritated, "It's less about what it is, than having something people can connect to you. People feel safe and hopeful when they see the S. Criminals wet their pants when they see the Bat. \

"Men get excited when they see the W…" Artemis murmured, earning a snicker from Wally.

"Okay… don't you think I should have had some say in this?" I asked, more amused than anything.

There was an awkward moment, where they all looked a bit nervous. Finally, Tyson said, "We all gave some input on the design. It was super last minute, so it can use some work… do you not like it?"

I sighed, "Relax guys, it looks awesome!"

That lots of relieved sighs. With some further prodding, I found out that the belt was actually forged by Tyson, but the design and internal tech was provided by Robin. Apparently, he and Batman's belts had lots of secrets to them, that he promised to show me later.

Finally, after Robin, was Kaldur, whose present took up most of the compartment at first, I wondered if it was a television or something, but it seemed too big for even _that_.

I opened the package to reveal a regular box, that I then opened to find it full of bubble wrap. Only after I got rid of that (with lots of compulsory popping) did I see the true e majesty of Kaldur's gift.

It was a wheel. More specifically, a steering wheel. More specifically, a steering wheel meant for a ship like what I had down in the Cove. Only, it wasn't any simple helm, it was made of beautifully preserved dark blue wood, and decorated with pearls, shells, and blue sapphires. Finally, the handle that rested at the top to indicate when the rudder was straight, had a miniature trident pointing up.

I gazed at the beautiful workmanship before me, along with all the other passengers aboard the ship, before looking up at Kaldur, "Where the hell did you get something like this?"

The Atlantean was smiling proudly, "From the Atlantean treasury. Granted, it is partly a gift from King Arthur, who you know as Aquaman, as well as an invitation."

I looked at him in surprise, "An invitation… to Atlantis?"

He nodded excitedly, "In a week's time! The king and queen will be hosting an intimate dinner and would like you to attend. It is only natural that they would want to get better acquainted with the son of the god of their kingdom."

I took a moment to process, "Yeah I guess that makes sense… will you be there."

"Of course."

I sighed in relief, "Okay then I'm in. and…. I'm assuming you picked out the helm for me?"

He smiled, "I thought you might like to use it for your ship."

I couldn't help but walk over to him and pull him into a bro hug, "It's beautiful man, I'll definitely use it."

He chuckled, "I'm glad. Oh! I should show you, there is a secret feature," He grabbed the trident handle and twisted it to the right, causing it to loosen and pop off, "It is meant as a backup weapon, in case you're boarded. I doubt you will run into such difficulties, but it might come in handy… one day."

I smiled, before hearing M'gann squeal excitedly, "I knew it would work?"

I glanced at her in confusion, "What's working?"

"You're not getting airsick!"

At her words I found myself realizing that I was standing up. In a moving vehicle, several hundred feet up in the air.

"It… _was_ working."

M'gann winced, before rushing to help me sit down. "Right… sorry."

As I sat down, I noticed Artemis approaching Kara, who was stock still in her seat, watching all the interactions with a mixture of interest and trepidation. "Hey, you know you're not a prisoner right?"

The Kryptonian looked at her in alarm, "What?"

"You've been sitting back here silently the whole trip. It's kind of creepy, you can talk to us you know, you probably should…"

Kara hesitated, before saying, "I figured you were all... mad at me?"

"Artemis smirked, "Really? Why would you think that?"

"Because… uh…"

Robin popped over "Because you acted like a huge jerk who thinks their race is better than anyone else, then tried to fight our leader and got your ass kicked?"

Kara's face turned beet red while Artemis smacked the thirteen-year-old, "Quit it!"

However, the girl stuttered out, "y-y-yeah, because of that,"

the two looked at her in surprise, before Kaldur leaned over form his seat, "I do believe that Perseus has already forgiven you for that, and we are inclined to follow his lead"

Kara looked over at me in surprise, before snapping back as she saw me watching her, I decided I had eavesdropped enough and turned my full focus back to not throwing up, but not before hearing her say, "Are you sure?"

 **Later**

BY some miracle I survived the trip back. I only tried to jump into the ocean below a few times before we started flying over solid ground. I was less inclined to jump out then

As soon as the ship landed in the mountain hanger, I was the fist to run out and throw myself down on the ground, pressing my face against it, not caring how dirty it was as I groaned in exhaustion, "I'm never flying again."

"I wouldn't be so sure, I might send you flying by the end of the day."

I looked up to see a pair of red boots, attached a scowling Superman standing over me, glaring intensely. I held up a finger, "One second." I then vomited all over his shoes.

The hero stepped back in disgust, as I looked up to see batman pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head in exasperation. Superman scowled and moved forward, only for Batman to put a hand in front of him, somehow stopping the immensely stronger being.

I WIPED MY MOUTH BEFORE LOOKING UP AT THE GUY, "Sorry about that, I can wash it out though just get me some water…"

"Why didn't you just ride your horse back like usual?" Batman asked in annoyance.

"We're having an argument. Long story. And I'll only say this one: he's a pegasus."

"I don't care if it's a gosh darn donkey!" Superman exclaimed, making me have to physically hold myself back form bursting into laughter as the rest of the team emerged from the ship cautiously. Kara froze up when she saw Big Blue, K-I mean… superman?"

"Kara!" The older Kryptonian shot past me towards the girl, wrapping her in a hug before examining her like a worried mother, "What happened? Did he hurt you?"

I looked over at Batman, "I guess word travels fast?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Diana called ahead. Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

"…A lot?"

He scoffed, "You've made Superman angry."

Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes, "You do realize a lot of what went down was _his_ fault right?"

Before Batman could answer Superman yelled, "WHO DID THIS?"

I turned to see him looking at the thin scar Kara was sporting on her neck. I had to admit, to be a scar already, those Amazonian healers knew what they were doing. Nevertheless, I shrugged said, "That would be me."

Before I could react, I found my back in pain and my body pinned against the hanger wall, held up by my neck by a furious Superman, "Who do you think you _are_. First you move her without my permission and now you _hurt_ her?"

I sneered at him, "Who hurt her more? You're the one that let her get imprisoned on that island."

"Kal please—" Kara called out in destress but the older Kryptonian wasn't having it

"Not now Kara!" he snapped, but before he could talk again, a hand latched itself to the arm holding mine. He turned slowly to see a glaring Superboy.

"Put. Him. Down."

Superman scoffed, "You really want to do this boy?"

Kal!" Batman called out angrily, as apparently that was Superman's name, "Calm down!"

'Kal' didn't listen, still staring at Superboy, who still refused to budge his hand. By the way his muscles were shaking, I figured he was trying to move Superman's hand away but was no match from his DNA donors strength.

Superman apparently had enough, as he used his other hand to grab Superboy and throw him away with ease. That got me angry on its own, but then, a bark sounded as Mrs. O'Leary launched herself through the air at Superman, trying to save me, bless her heart. She was met with a similar treatment, as superman grabbed her neck midair and through her with ease, causing her to yelp on impact with the ground. That was the last straw. Because I could understand why superman would want to hurt me/

But no one hurts my dog.

I yelled in rage. Before turning liquid again, slipping out of his grasp and sliding around him so I could form behind him, my hands gripping him so I could sing him around and slam him into the wall causing a small crater.

Apparently, Tyson had the same idea as me, as in the next instant he was doing his damn hardest to pin Superman to the wall, despite his struggling. If it were a test of pure strength Tyson would likely win against anyone, but Superman was far more coordinated, and quickly used Tyson's force against him and slipped out the way to pin him to the wall instead, shoving his head into the wall and making the crater even larger.

Needless to say, this put the Cyclops in a bit of a daze, enough that Superman found it safe to let him go and turn back to me, still glaring. I returned the favor, while charging my fists ups with earthquake energy. It looks like I was finally going to see what this new power can do to another person. "Bring it Boy Scout."

The Kryptonian snarled at me, launching at me with a fist raised as I did the same.

Just before we collided however, there was a gust of air as Kara appeared between us ,arms outstretched to stop our collision, "Enough!"

Both of us stumbled to a stop, if only to avoid hitting her, before she turned to Superman, "It was an _accident_ Kal! It was a spar!"

Superman barely registered her words, "Get out of the way Kara, you aren't capable of handling this."

Kara's eyes widened at him as if she could barely comprehend his words, while I felt a new flare of anger flow through me, ''Yeah? How do you figure? I've known girls half her age and twice as capable as you! so tell us 'Kal' why can't she handle this?"

"Percy you're not helping!" Kara snapped. I might have protested, but I noticed she had a significantly softer tone with me.

Superman seemed to notice this too, and looked ready to yell again, when Batman called out, "Everyone calm down NOW! Before I make you!"

I looked over at the hero, and my teammates next to them. All of them looked incredibly tense and scared but looked ready to jump in at any moment to help. Seeing that helped me push some of the anger out of me, though I wasn't sure exactly how Batman would stop superman, but I figured it had something to do with the green glow coming from the pouch he was opening.

Superman sighed angrily but stepped back a bit, "Fine. Explain, quickly."

Thankfully, Robin was the one to speak up before I did, as I likely wouldn't have been able to keep my anger in check. He explained the trip to Themyscira, the trials, and how every other person that tried to touch my sword had passed right through it, up until Kara. Superman seemed to calm down a little bit at that.

"You still shouldn't have taken her off the island." Superman said at the end.

"Why? Because I don't have your 'permission'?" Kara snapped.

Superman put a hand on his forehead in exasperation, "It's more complicated than that Kara. You're still new to this earth, to your powers, and… you still need time to heal after…"

Kara scoffed, "After I watched my entire life get destroyed? It's been _four months_ Kal! I don't think it's getting any better than this!"

"That's not true." I murmured, but murmuring did nothing against super hearing.

Kara's eyes softened significantly, "That's right. If anyone knows anything about what I'm going through it's you isn't it?"

Before I could say anything about that, Superman sighed, "Kara, no. Perseus is not like you he's…"

"He's what?" Kara asked while in my mind I also asked, " _Yeah! What?"_

"He's a killer." Superman spoke with an edge in his voice, "The day he came to this word he took someone's head off."

Kara looked at me in shock, "What?"

I rolled my eyes, "He was trying to kill Wally, Kaldur, and Superboy, and was also a mindless beast. I did what I was trained to do. What do you think we _knock out_ monsters in my world?"

"Enough." Superman stated, "Kara, I'm sorry I left you on the island, it wasn't my idea. if you want I can take you back to the fortress."

Kara still didn't say anything, looking at me strangely, before turning aback to superman, who suddenly grew angry again, "You would stay with him instead? After everything I told you? we're family Kara!"

Oh, is that what was happening?

"Family would have told me if I had another family member!" Kara hissed, gesturing to Superboy, who was now at Tyson's side, making sure he was alright.

Superman faltered, "He's… he's not—"

"Is abandoning your family members becoming a thing now?"

Superman looked shocked, "I didn't abandon him! He had Batman and the team he didn't need me!"

"Of course I needed you!" Superboy yelled, unable to contain himself any longer "I was brought into the world looking like _this_ , and the only one who had any sort of connection to me wouldn't give me the time of day. I still haven't fully gained control of my powers! Id don't even have a name, everyone just calls me _Superboy_ do you have any idea how humiliating that is?"

For once Superman had no response, looking like a gaping fish. I noticed Kara looking at me with the same strange look, so I decided to speak up, "I'd just like to remind you that I brought you here as a punishment for putting a fist through my chest." That made her look away, "But even so, I'm willing to let you make your own choice to leave if you want, because the idea that you have to choose between him or me pisses me off, you can go off and do whatever you want. I know from experience that teenagers can make their way in the world, and with your power you should have no trouble."

Kara's strange look came back, before shifting into something I identified as: decisiveness. She turned to superman. "I'm staying here Kal."

Of course, it didn't end then and there. Superman argued with her for almost an hour, but Kara was not budging, and there was no longer any one to back superman up.

Reluctantly, the Man of Steel left the cave without his cousin, promising her he would check in on her as often as he could, before leaving, allowing M'gann to lead her to a room to set up in.

Before I went to my own room, Batman approached me one more time, making me groan, "What now?"

He ignored my attitude, "While I do not agree with how Superman handled this situation, he has a slight point. Diana and I agreed to bring Kara to the island for her safety and the safety of the world around her. She has been thrust into this world and her powers are incredibly hard for her to control. Not only that, but there are many people who will undoubtedly be after her after she reveals herself to the world. Are you certain you can handle _all_ that?"

I scoffed, "Of course I'm not certain." He raised an eyebrow in surprise, "But I'm certain that I have enough deaths on my conscious, enough people who I've failed. I'll do everything in my power to make sure the list doesn't grow.

He seemed to want to say more to me, but decided against it, letting me go on my way.

The days after that fell back into a routine. There were no big missions, so I took to patrolling Manhattan, a couple hours during the day and a couple more hours during the night. I was always accompanied by Tyson, and occasionally one of the other team members, Superboy being the most frequent.

When I wasn't patrolling, I was at home, working my ship, which was nearing completion each and every day, as well as spending time with my teammates when the opportunity arose.

Above all the most interesting interactions were with Kara. interesting not because she was a good conversationalist, but because she was so hilariously bad at it. I suppose it wasn't her fault, being raised on an entirely different planet. I could tell that she wanted to talk to me about that, as apparently, she thought I understood and could give her advice on how to deal with it. Understand I did, but I wasn't sure I was the best one to ask for coping mechanisms.

There was the occasional blip in the routine as well, like when I approached Batman about Blackjack's "exploits" with the mares around the mountain. I think his stern façade actually fell way for a moment into pure bafflement, but he quickly reined himself in quickly, and asked me for the names of the farms, which I had thankfully asked Blackjack about, before saying he would "Take care of it".

And of course, there was the even that transpired a few days after we got back. The weapon that Tyson and Raven had provided for me, had still been "forming up" until then, when an excited Tyson dragged me down to the forget.

"Is it ready?" I asked, not bothering to hide my excitement as I was practically carried down the stairs. I always knew to expect the best from his work, even though this technically wasn't _his_ work.

"You'll see!" he responded giddily.

We entered the forge to see Raven waiting for us, standing just in front of where the mound of Tiber metal Tyson gathered was, so I couldn't see the result. It was pretty impressive with her stature. I looked at her excitedly, "Well? How did it turn out?"

Her expression was as neutral as always. "See for yourself."

She stepped aside to reveal…

"Oh."

It was a three pronged trident, just like dad used. It stood up from a base of metal, shining with the dark colors of the Tiber metal. The prongs were all barbed, though I noticed the two on the sides were both edged like a blade, possibly so I could do some sort of swing attack I guess.

"Do you not like it?" Raven asked, as I could practically feel Tyson starting to deflate.

"No no!" I exclaimed, "It's not that I just… well I expected it to be a sword."

Not a moment later did the trident suddenly start shrinking down., the prongs melding with one another as the trident shortened and shifted until a sword took it's place.

It was about a foot longer than Riptide, though it still retained the basic shape. The only other major difference was the dark grey color and the guard. Instead of it being a simple flat piece of metal to keep the enemy's blade from slicing my hand, it appeared as two wings spreading out from the blade, incredibly similar to the image Robin and the others came up with.

I stared at it in awe, no one saying awkward before I stepped forward to touch it. That's when the real interesting stuff happened. As soon as my hand touched the hilt, I felt something inside me click, and the blade exploded with color.

The blade turned from dark grey, to a deep golden color, several shades darker than the imperial golden weapons I'd seen. A stripe of sea green ran down the flat of the blade on both sides, where it met the grip which was also sea green. The winged guard on the other hand, darkened to pitch black, which I had to chuckle at.

The pommel was pretty basic, metal and round so I could knock people out with it. It seemed to be attacked to the metal it was standing on, though it gave way as soon as I gave it a pull. I had expected the extra length to cause some awkwardness in the handling, but I was reminded of the first time I held Riptide with how well balanced it was.

"How does it feel?" I was broken out of my awe by Tyson. I turned to see Raven and him watching me intensely.

"I-It's great!" I said hesitantly, before looking at Raven, "How did it change like that? Is it magic like Riptide?"

Raven frowned, "I haven't had a chance to examine Riptide," I winced, remembering my repetitive refusal, "But I doubt it's exactly "like" Riptide. By all rights, this is _your_ weapon, linked to you by your ichor. You commanded Mrs., O'Leary to change size and work, it makes sense that you can command this to change shape."

I bit down the remark that nothing about this "made sense" to me. I looked back at the sword and tentatively said, "Trident?"

Again, it instantly changed, growing longer in my hand and forming back into the trident, conveniently so that my hand was at the standard grip position. The formerly grey trident now had a similar color scheme to the sword, minus the black wings.

I gave it a few test jabs, finding it just as finely weighted. Tit was a fairly new experience, as I'd never felt a perfectly weighted. Trident in my hands. It made me think I might be able to get used to using it. The extra range would definitely be useful.

Of course, I wouldn't be using the majority of the time. I couldn't just kill every criminal I came across, especially the mortals. I'm on thin enough ice with Superman as it is, what with me 'stealing his cousin'. I would need to store it somewhere, similar to Riptide.

And just like that, it shrunk once again, this time not even requiring a word on my part. It grew smaller and smaller, until finally it took the form of a ballpoint pen, similar to Riptide's pen form, if not in color.

I considered leaving it like that for old times' sake, but then remembered all those times I didn't' have pockets, for one reason nor another. So, I concentrated again, and once gain it began to shift.

Once it was finished, it had taken the form of a necklace, a thin, flexible but strong ribbon of metal with a miniature version of the sword form, and apparently my new logo.

I put it around my neck and went to wrap Tyson in a hug, one which he returned gladly, before turning to Raven, who looked tense, until I offered up a hand for her to shake. She took it with a flicker of relief. "This really was an amazing gift Raven, I can't thank you enough."

She shrugged, "It's no big deal. Tyson did most of the work."

I smiled, "Maybe, but you must have done a lot of research before attempting this, I know you're not one to experiment recklessly." The look on her face confirmed it, it had caught her. "So when's your birthday?"

She tensed up. "I… don't celebrate my birthday. You shouldn't worry about it."

I frowned, making a mental not to find out why and what her birthdate was later, but for now just smiling and nodding, "Alright.

I turned back to Tyson, "Ready for Patrol brother?"

Tyson gave a confident thumb up, and went to get his suit. Raven was making her way upstairs when I asked, "Want to come with?"

She looked surprised for some reason. In fact she always does when I invite her, I can't imagine why, we've patrolled together before. She gave a small nod before heading upstairs, presumably to get her "costume".

About a week after that was when we got the mission to go after Clayface.

 **Downtown Gotham**

The team was silent was they stalked their prey. They were currently spread out through a superstore, where they had chased the infamous shapeshifter.

I was walking down the cell phone section, trying hard not to get distracted. What can I say? I don't have to worry about monsters anymore, I'm in the market.

I was about to check in over the telepathic line when I heard a loud scream across the store, signaling that someone had found the target.

I rushed over there as fast as I could, calling out mentally, " _Who was that? What's going on?"_

The response came from Kara, _"It's… it's me. he jumped me, I'm trying to get out but—"_

" _Don't struggle!"_ I called back " _Just hold tight!"_

" _I could try freeze breath?"_

" _And he could shove his mud down your throat and suffocate you! don't provoke him, I have a plan, so just bear with it for now."_ I ended the connection

"Di immortales…" I cursed under my breath. We learned earlier that physical strength meant nothing to the mud creature, any grip you broke out of was quickly replaced with more mud. Luckily, I had enough time to think of a different approach in the time we've been chasing him.

" _Aqualad, be ready on my signal."_

" _Yes Perseus"_

It was then that I spotted the rest of the team. They were trying and failing to dodge the mud blasts coming from one of the aisles. Many of them were covered in mud that apparently was no longer part of the creature, though I was not convinced.

I looked down the aisle to see Kara indeed captured by the disgusting monster. Clayface looked pretty cramped in the aisle but didn't seem to mind. Kara was dressed in her temporary uniform, which was a plain full Body blue jumpsuit, courtesy of Tyson. She had a bit of mud over her mouth, so she could only let out muffled yells, though she looked much calmer when I came into view.

I signaled for the others to back up and cease their attacks, which they did, leaving me as the closest to the monster, who was snarling at me. "Give it up Clayface, I don't want to hurt you."

He laughed, before speaking in a deep raspy voice, "Like you could! Do you have any idea who I am new guy?"

I sighed, though I expected this. "Fine then." I reached into my new utility belt, and pulled out a handful of small blue capsules, which I then chucked at him at alarming speeds. Despite this, eh simply created a hole in his body that they all flew through harmlessly.

He laughed a bit more genuinely now, "Is that the best you can do?"

I simply smiled back, "Not really, but it's good enough for you." I then reached my power out to the capsules

Simultaneously, they all hit the ground and exploded into water. They were the flash frozen capsules that Artemis provided me with. When I willed them to melt, which took some practice, they turned into an alarming amount of water for their size. When I asked, she and the other nerds on the team went into a longwinded speech on ice and water density that went straight over my head. the point is, when they exploded, they turned into enough water to completely encircle the large monster in a thin layer, which quickly began closing in.

Clayface panicked for a moment before smiling at me again, "I think you ought to stop that, before I snap tis pretty little girls' neck."

I rolled my eyes as a few of my teammates chuckled at the thought. There was no way Clayface had the strength to do so, but I didn't say that. Instead I willed my tentacles to shoot out in front of me, plunging into the water barrier with no resistance, and cutting Kara out of Clayface before he had time to react, before I pulled her out and set her down gently by my side where she coughed up mud. I then willed a stream of water to reach out from the barrier to me. I looked back at Kaldur, "You're up."

The Atlantean gave a silent nod and walked towards the stream, He put his hand in it and activated his eel tattoos, sending an electric current through the entire construct, which made the clay. Creature scream in agony, before falling unconscious.

I hummed, "Alright then, who wants smoothies?"

We called in the League to get Clayface into containment, then made our way back to the cave, after stopping for smoothies first.

Now we stood in front of Batman and Red Tornado, giving a report on our mission.

Kaldur was the one who gave it, as he was the most well-spoken. Once he was finished, Batman nodded. "I see… I must say, I'm impressed. I expected Clayface to give you more tro—" He stopped at the sound of me trying to get the last bit of my blueberry smoothie through my straw. I was the only one who hadn't finished their smoothie yet.

luckily realized everyone was staring, and stopped abruptly. "My bad, continue."

"As I was saying, you all handled yourselves quite—I'm trying to praise you1' He exclaimed the last part as I began making the noise again

I stopped again, with barely contained laughter impeding my speech., "s-s-sorry! I couldn't resist!"

Batman walked up to me and snatched the smoothie out of my hand, before tossing it over his shoulder, where a trash can stood about thirty feet behind him. It landed in the trashcan perfectly.

I pouted a bit as he walked away, "The only concern I have would be… Kara."

I felt the Kryptonian stiffen up at the end of the line, "You acted recklessly, and neglected your sense of situational awareness. Such a mistake should be near impossible for a Kryptonian but Clayface still snuck up on you. It was a mistake on my part to send you on a mission so soon."

Kara hung her head in shame while the others shifted uncomfortably. While they had a rocky start, they all couldn't deny that the Kryptonian girl had a winning personality, when it wasn't buried under anger and sorrow.

"I disagree." I spoke up, causing her to look up at me in shock, though she was the only one.

Batman looked at me calmly, "Your reasoning?"

"I went on my first quest across the US with only a few months training. I survived, because I had dependable, and experienced friends to help watch out for me. She is older, more experienced, and more mature. As long as she has all of us with her, she can afford to make a few mistakes in the beginning."

Batman nodded, "Well said." he turned to Kara, "Very well then, you will continue to go on missions. Make sure you learn from your mistakes."

Kara took a moment to process what just happened, before standing up straight and nodding, "Yes sir!"

With that Batman took his leave, leaving the team with some downtime.

As we broke out of our line, I noticed Wally talking animatedly with Artemis about some upcoming party he was having. She only smiled and nodded as he went a mile a minute as they walked out of the room. I wondered if Aphrodite was as active in this Universe as she was in mine.

I was about to head down to the forge to check up with Tyson, but when I turned towards the door, I found Kara in front of me. "How did you do that?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Sorry?"

"The way you talked to Batman! You _changed his mind_! How did you do that?!"

She really seemed surprised by it, making me wonder just what happened between her and batman before now, "Words?"

She narrowed her eyes at my smartass answer, "It's like… he trusts you. but he doesn't trust anyone! I heard him say so himself!"

I shrugged, "I'm not sure "trust" is the right word… but when you see into another person's head, and everything that's ever happened to them, I guess you get a good read on the person?"

She didn't response, instead looking even more perplexed.

I sighed, before moving past her, "Look I need to check on Tyson."

I was immediately aware of her following me, though she said nothing. Feeling awkward, I spoke up, "So how is your costume design going?"

She looked broken out of deep thought before waving it off, "Okay I guess, I'm taking ideas from my favorite fashion trend ion Krypton… how did you do it?"

I looked back at her, "I told you, I just talked to the guy—"

"No, I mean how did you get over losing your world?"

I stopped, frozen still in the hallway. I felt her bump into me at the sudden stop, but I didn't care. I as too busy clenching my fists as tightly as I could, restraining myself from throttling her neck. It's not her fault, she just doesn't understand.

"What makes you think I "got over it"?" I said as calmly as could.

"Aren't you? I can't go a full hour without thinking about it, but you… you're happy, you laugh you have fun—"

"What does that have to do with it?" I asked, allowing bit of edge in my voice, still not turning to face her. thankfully this time I think she got the message.

"Even if you're not "over" it, you're leagues better than I am, and you've had way less time to deal! All I want to know is—"

I whirled around to look at her, fully aware of the dangerous glow in my eyes, "What the trick is? What coping mechanism do I use?" She nodded nervously.

I took a deep breath, reigning myself in before I said, "There isn't one Kara. I wish I could help you, I really do, but I'm not as well off as you think I am."

"But… then how are you—"

"Happy? Simple: I'm not. Sure, I can have fun, I can laugh I can enjoy myself at times, but there will always be a centuries worth of anger, rage, sorrow, and loss, underneath. What I do is hide it underneath because why should anyone else have to bear that with me?"

She stared at me in horror, so I sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "That's _me_ Kara. I've had over a century to get used to that mind set, purely for lack of other options. You on the other hand, should see Black Canary. I personally have stopped seeing her, but Tyson tells me she's been helping him a lot. I think she can do the same for you."

With that I left her in the hallway and headed towards the forge, but not before passing Raven's room.

Her door was cracked open, out of which those deep blue eyes were staring right at me,. I them I saw a flicker of…. Concern? Anger? Sadness? I honestly couldn't tell with her. before I could ask, the door was shut in my face.

I shook my head and headed down through the forge area into the cove, where Tyson waited, along with Kaldur, and of course, my ship.

She was finally seaworthy, and I intended on taking her to Atlantis as her first Voyage. Or at least over it.

She was a fairly standard frigate when found her, but now she was glorious. Polished wood painted blue, bright white sails ready to be deployed, and a spotless deck you could eat food off of. (though you probably shouldn't)

Aside from the Helm gifted by Kaldur, it wasn't anything fancy. There was no flag, no figurehead, and the captain's quarters were decorated just like the guest rooms in the mountain, i.e. very plainly. All of the fancy stuff would come after, when Tyson went insane upgrading it, but at the moment, it was just a plain old frigate, with the words _Wise Girl_ painted on the side in grey. And that was just the way I liked it.

I found Tyson talking to Kaldur as he loaded some equipment below deck. There was a few generators and some minifridges as well as microwaves everything I needed to survive really.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Kaldur asked him, "I assure you there will be no trouble if you—"

"I'm sure." Tyson stated chirpily.

"Sure of what?" I asked as I walked across the gangplank. Kaldur looked up in surprise, "Percy! Well… Tyson was telling me…"

"I think I'm going to sit this trip out." Tyson explained."

I raised an eyebrow, "Really? I thought you would have been excited?"

"I am! I definitely want to visit eventually! But… I was wanting to finish up on a project and…"

"And what?" I asked, curiously.

"…M'gann said she was going to teach me and Superboy how to cook tomorrow."

I resisted the urge to break out into laughter. That was enough of an answer for me. I didn't bother mentioning that he could ask for her to teach him another time, or anything really. I honestly had no idea if Tyson was actually developing feelings for the Martian girl, but if he was, I didn't want to risk embarrassing him about it.

After Tyson set up the electronics and went about his business, Kaldur asked me again, "Are you sure this is necessary Percy? I don't doubt that your ship can make the trip with your assistance, but Atlantis has a teleporter. Wouldn't you rather use that and enjoy your first voyage with friends?"

I gave him a funny look, "Dude, you _are_ my best friend."

Despite the look on shock on his face it was true. Of all the people on the team who I was not related to, he was my closest companion. It may have had something to do with our similar powers at the beginning, but I soon found myself impressed by his strong sense of loyalty that rivaled my own. Despite his calm demeaner he did know how to have fun, and besides being more knowledgeable than I, he was also clever enough to give good insight when I formed strategies for the team. And of course, he treats me like an equal instead of groveling like some might say he should have due to my godhood.

I put a hand on his shoulder, "Seriously man, if I had to spend a long period of time with any one person in this universe, it would be—"

"Tyson." He stated with a knowing smirk.

"Well who wouldn't! but you have a firm hold on second place"

He smiled and bowed his head, "I am honored then. So, shall we leave soon? I know you said you could get us to the coordinates quickly, but Atlantis is in the middle of the Ocean, a 2000-mile trip. Most ships from the _Wise Girl's_ time period would take around three weeks, and the dinner is tomorrow night."

I waved him off, "It'll be fine. I'll just will a fast current underneath us towards Atlantis. Worst case scenario I'll swim us there directly, but I have faith in my element. But yeah we should probably get ready to head out."

He nodded, "In that case I shall go gather some clothes and say goodbye to the others.

Once everything was packed up, the team had gathered in the cove to see us off. Aqualad and I stood near the Stern waving goodbye as Superboy and Tyson gave us a sendoff, literally. The two literally pushed the ship out of the cove towards the open ocean.

Once we were out of the cove and on the ocean, I felt a swell inside me that felt overwhelmingly _right_. It was the same feeling I had all those years ago on the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ though back I didn't realize it. It didn't compare to being _in_ the ocean, but it was pretty darn close.

I was broken out of my thought as I noticed Kaldur by the mizzen mast, climbing up to release the sails. I chuckled, "Don't bother with that man."

He looked down at me in curiously. "What?"

I smirked and snapped y fingers. In an instant, rope flew, sails lowered, and turned into the wind as I took the helm. The sudden change elicited a low yelp from the Atlantean as he hopped down from the mast to watch in awe. I only began turning the helm in the right direction smugly.

What followed was good times galore. I had a small part of my brain focusing on moving water under the ship forward at all times, going to the stern to readjust the wheel occasionally, mostly for the feeling of captaining the ship.

Aside from that it was just me and Kaldur, talking, laughing, exchanging stories and tips. He told me of his time growing up in Atlantis, while I gave the details of my time at Camp half blood. It felt good to actually tell someone about my past instead of having it ripped from my head.

We passed a few ships along the way, many of which were concerned when they saw a 18th century ship passing their modern ones at over three times the speed.

After a while our conversation shifted into sea life. I admitted that while I could befriend any I met, I was not as knowledgeable in all the types of sea life as I probably should be.

Kaldur seemed horrified by this, as apparently most Atlanteans knew nearly all types of sea life by name. he then spent a few hours naming all the ones I "absolutely had to know", lest I embarrass myself.

That continued until sundown. Normally such a lecture would bore me half to death, but I found myself paying full attention with no problem and retaining everything I was told. I guess it's easier when your very biology is attuned to what you're being taught.

After a while though he stopped talking and settled for leaning on the railing near the bow. I had gone down to hat up some food below deck, and when I came back, I saw a new look on his face that I didn't often see on my right hand: uncertainty.

"Dude, why the long face?" I asked, before tossing him a water bottle. He caught it easily before taking the plate of food I handed him gratefully.

Once he was settled again, he said, "I've been thinking Percy… maybe… I should stay in Atlantis."

A piece of half chewed hot pocket fell out of my open mouth, "What? Why? Wait—what brought his on?"

He sighed heavily, "I don't know I just… sometimes I feel like I'm redundant. You can do almost everything I can and more. Not that I'm angry at you for that, I admire you for it, truly! But at the moment I don't see how I am useful to you other than another pair of hands. If I stay in Atlantis, I could continue my studies in Atlantean sorcery. I'll likely never catch up to you but as I am now I—"

"Kaldur." I interrupted him, "You are not "another pair of hands". You're my right-hand man, the most responsible one on the team, who I can count on to lead them if I am ever unable. You're my advisor, my friend, I couldn't do this without you. so, what if your powers aren't as great as mine? I can't do that static electricity thing you do, and you saw how useful that was with Clayface!"

"I'm sure you could learn that easi—"

"Oh, don't worry I intend to. But even then, I'll still need you."

The Atlantean looked at me for a moment, as if trying to detect a lie, before looking aback at the ocean sadly. I sensed there was another reason he was feeling this way.

Sure enough, "There's something else… someone else."

Now I leaned heavily on the rail as well, "Oh. Who is she then? Or he, I don't judge."

He chuckled, "She… Tula was my colleague back at the Conservatory, as well as my lifelong friend. Before I left with King Arthur… I am certain I felt something between us."

I nodded thoughtfully, "Okay… so you're going to give up your life, your friends here on the surface for a girl?" I made sure to put it in a teasing manner.

It backfired when he gave me a pointed look, "I do believe this is what the surface world calls "pot calling the kettle black"."

I chuckled dryly, remembering all the things I gave up, everything I went through for the sake of a girl. "Yeah well look where that got me."

"With us." He stated, "I know you don't regret it."

I smiled at him, "See? You know me best. Look man, I'm not going to tell you that you can't stay or anything, I wouldn't dream of it. However, I want you to know that if you leave the team, you'll be depriving us of a valuable member, that believe it or not, we could never replace."

He smiled sadly at the ocean. "I will keep that in mind."

I stood up off the railing and stretched, "Well it's going to be a long night. There's a hammock below deck if you need to sleep. Atlanteans do sleep right?"

He got up, "Indeed we do. I should probably get some rest for tomorrow. We will be before royalty after all. Will you rest as well?"

I shrugged, "Maybe later." aka never but he didn't need to know that.

 **The next day.**

" _I'm surprised the ship actually made it, such speeds could have torn it a apart."_ Kaldur commented from beneath the waves

"Are you doubting my craftsmanship?" I asked from the ship.

"Well—"

"Don't answer that."

Is this a safe area?" I called out to Kaldur.

He popped up from the water, "Yes, it should be safe. Go ahead."

I nodded and heaved the heavy anchor into the water, letting it fall through the water until it hit the bottom.

I did ad double check below deck to make sure everything was turned off and the boat wasn't set on fire, before jumping overboard myself.

We then began swimming downwards. Already I could see a faint glimmer of light below us, but only after we were a couple thousand more leagues down, did they begin to separate into the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen, and that included Aphrodite.

The city was enormous, under several large domes to accommodate the terrain. The domes appeared to be glass but h ad a feeling they were something a little bit more magical.

The city was illuminated by bright lights, far more brilliantly than new York could ever be . some parts of the buildings themselves glowed as well., and there was no color off limits. Every shade of the rainbow made up the sprawling cityscape, and yet somehow didn't look gaudy.

I suddenly realized. Was no longer moving, instead staring at the sight before me in utter awe. I heard Kaldur chuckle behind me before saying, "Welcome to Atlantis"

 **Chapter 13**

 **Next chapter will be the rest of the downtime event, including the events of the other team members affected by the presence of Percy and Tyson**

 **Let me know what you think of the presents. Some of the m might not be realistic for one reason or another, but hey it's a fanfic, who cares? I. certainly don't… much.**

 **Sorry this was so late. I was planning on uploading like three days ago, but i couldn't access my computer for reasons. After that I got caught up with Spiderman ps4 which I've since finished. It was great, 10/10, already hoping for a sequal.**


	14. Chapter 14

Third Person POV 

Kaldur led Percy into the depths towards the sunken city. Percy assumed at first that they could just swim directly where they wanted to go, but soon learned that it would be much more annoying.

Apparently there were entry points somewhere on every bubble, a hole in the magic field, and they were all guarded by Atlantean soldiers, who were very particular about who they let in.

It surprised Percy when Kaldur actually had to argue with the guards to allow a surface dweller in. at first Kaldur tired mentioning how he was the son of Poseidon, but the guards just laughed him off. They were dressed in bright armor, that seemed to be forged to look like fish scales, and wielded

Kaldur growled in irritation, "How else do you think he is surviving right now? Do you see a wetsuit? Or gills?"

The guards didn't even blink. The one on the right scoffed, "Metahuman, magic user, genetic augmentation, the surface world has it all these days, but Poseidon having a son? With a surface dweller no less? Get real."

"Did he just insult my mom?" Percy asked, "I know he did not just insult my mom."

Kaldur got up in the guard's face, "He has an invitation from the King. If you do not let us pass, there will be consequences."

The guard however didn't buy it, instead leaning forward and saying, "Prove it."

"I can vouch for them."

The two looked past the guards to see a young man about Kaldur's age. He was wearing a skintight blue uniform that seemed to be right in between the epi nature of Kaldur's suit, and the ridiculousness of Aquaman's suit.

Kaldur brightened upon seeing him. "Garth! My friend! How are you?"

The Atlantean smiled, "I am well, it has been too long. He turned to the guard, "I have a note from King Arthur himself, he figured this might happen" he handed over the note and let the guard read it.

After a moment the guard nodded, and they were let through, where they began to follow the newcomer, Garth, through what appeared to be a campus of some kind.

"Thank you for that." Kaldur spoke up.

"Think nothing of it." Garth waved him off as he swam ahead, before turning bac to glance at Percy, "Our king informed me of the nature of our guest. I can't say I wasn't curious to see for myself. You are Perseus correct?"

Percy nodded, "That's me."

"You are not moving your arms."

He blinked, "What?'

"We are all moving forward, yet your arms and legs do not move."

Percy felt a little self-conscious for some reason, "Yeah… it's a son of Poseidon thing I guess, I just will myself forward. I don't really think about it to be honest."

"I see…"

"How have you been Garth?" Kaldur asked, "Have your studies been going well?"

"They have." Garth answered. Thank you for asking"

"And Tula?"

Percy noticed Garth start at the question. Kaldur didn't. However, he shrugged it off as he noticed the students littering the conservatory. The main thing that interested him in was the fact that some of them looked very much inhuman. Some had mermaid tales like the stories, others had shark heads, or whale bodies with weirdly flexible flippers. It was interesting to say the least and he made mental note to ask Kaldur about it later.

"Why don't you ask her yourself." Garth stated, before pointing ahead of them.

Kaldur glowed when he followed where Garth pointed, and Percy could understand why. A ways below them was what appeared to be a battle between two women. One was obviously older and notably more experienced, while the other was younger but working hard to meet her opponent. Both were breathtakingly beautiful.

The trio swam down to meet them, with Kaldur in the lead, giving a slight bow to the older woman. "Queen Mera!"

The older woman, dressed in a revealing green two piece, and a gold crown, smiled kindly at him, "Kaldur'ahm!"

The younger girl, dressed in a yellow two piece, turned in excitement, "Kaldur!"

She shot towards Kaldur, wrapping him in a big, yet brief hug before pulling away, "It is so good to see you!"

"And you as well!" he assured her.

"I take it this is Perseus?" Mera spoke up, sending a distasteful look towards the god, one that he noticed. Tula on the other hand, seemed to have just noticed the newcomer

He couldn't help but smirk at the queen , "Huh. And how have I pissed _you_ off?' "

Mera's nostril's flared and her hand started to glow a bit before Kaldur sighed and said, "My queen, please forgive his tone, I believe he is honestly asking."

Mera looked between them with narrowed eyes before huffing and saying, "I think it should be obvious: you claim not only to be the son of the sea god, but a god as well!"

Percy stared at her "Yeah. So? I already went over that with the Amazons. I'm not lying. I can swear on the Styx if you want.

"I do not doubt your validity!" She spat, "I question your intention! What's to stop you from claiming ownership over the sea, and my husband's throne to boot?"

"Queen Mera I assure you," Kaldur spoke up, somewhat worriedly, "Perseus is my friend, and means nothing of the sort."

"Yeah I thought this was just going to be a nice dinner to get to know each other." Percy shrugged, "Honestly I don't really care about ruling the sea. It doesn't seem that great a job. As great as it is down here, I prefer living above ground myself."

Mera continued to stare at him, even causing her students to tense up at her sheer aura of scrutiny, but then she smiled, genuinely, "Good then! I will see you at dinner."

She then turned and swam away.

Percy whistled lowly, an impressive feat underwater by the way, "That was a mood swing if I've ever seen one. she pregnant or something?"

A loud scoff of indignation drew his attention to Tula, who was giving him an angry look, before swimming off angrily. Garth sighed and swam after, while Percy raised his hands up at Kaldur in defense, "I was honestly asking."

Kaldur rolled his eyes at his newest friends knack for making first impressions, before shooting off after the two, leaving Percy alone which he found a bit rude.

He followed the trio to find what appeared to be a very awkward conversation, awkward for Garth and Tula that is. Percy had no trouble hearing what they were saying from a distance, as apparently his senses were heightened underwater. It made sense, he never really had a reason to hear long distances underwater, so he gladly accepted it and listened as Kaldur invited Tula to dinner with him. It wasn't hard to figure out that she was the special girl he had been talking about, but Percy wasn't focusing on that.

Instead he was noticing the awkward glances between her and Garth, the uncomfortable shifts, the meaningful look Garth shot her when she accepted. Percy readily admitted he was a bit dense at times but even he could see what was happening there.

He just hoped he could help his friend before h made a fool of himself.

 **Later**

They soon found themselves at the royal palace, seated around a small table with the king, queen. Tula, and the prince. Percy was seated in between Kaldur and Tula, a tactical decision, though he didn't tell Kaldur that. He hadn't had a chance to make his concern known to his friend yet, so he was focusing on playing interference until he could. At that moment he was busy staring at the food in front of him, a lot of which looked delicious, but unidentifiable, when Aquaman spoke up, "So, Perseus—"

"Just Percy is fine," he interrupted, "I prefer it actually."

The king faltered for a moment before smiling and nodding, "Very well, Percy, first I'd like to thank you for accepting our invitation to join us tonight."

"Hey, thank _you_ man, this place is amazing! And thanks for giving me the wheel, my ship anchored above is using it currently."

Aquaman beamed while his brother, Prince Orm, looked confused, "So you sailed here? In a ship? I would think it would have been easier to swim, from what I've heard of your powers."

Percy chuckled, "Yeah it probably would, Kaldur thought it would be better to just teleport, but I've been dying to take the _Wise Girl_ out since I finished her. I can't really explain it, but being behind the wheel, the sea breeze on my face…"

"I believe we understand," Mera spoke up, her previous attitude vanished, as she nudged Aquaman "Sometimes I wonder where my Husband likes more, here or the surface world."

Aquaman winced, before gently grabbing her hand, "I don't believe I can claim favorites, having been raised above the sea, but I do know that wherever you are my dear, is where I would rather be."

Everyone watched the couples adoration with admiration and a bit of envy, before Aquaman turned back to Percy, "Anyway, I was wondering—"

"Just a second? Sorry I'm pretty sure interrupting the king is pretty disrespectful, but I have to know: what is this stuff made of?" He gestured to the feast before them, that included multicolored mushes and strange meats. He really hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.

Orm happily explained, "The meal before consists of different fruit and vegetables grown on the ocean floor in our personal farms, as well as several sea life cooked and served masterfully by our finest chefs."

Percy almost threw up In his mouth, "You _eat fish?"_

Tula frowned, "Of course! Why wouldn't we?"

"…Aren't some of you _part_ fish?"

Aquaman shrugged, "Sure, but fish eat other fish all the time. People on the surface eat pigs and cows, it is no different.

Percy shook his head in disbelief b3fore looking at the king in horror, "But I thought you could communicate with sea life!"

He raised an eyebrow, "I command sea life yes, but many creatures of the sea do not have the capacity for conscious thought."

"Uh, that's wrong."

Everyone looked at the son of Poseidon in shock. "I beg your pardon."

Kaldur spoke up quickly, "My king, Percy has proven without a doubt that he is capable of full conversations with all manner of sea life, as well as horses."

Percy muttered under his breath "And zebras."

"B-but how?" Mera asked honestly, "They don't actually… speak to you?" She whispered the last part cautiously as if Percy would start raving like a lunatic at any moment.

Percy scoffed, "Of course not, that would be physically impossible." He switched to his telepathy, reaching out to the Atlanteans, " _I do it like this."_

They all jumped at the sudden intrusion I their minds, before looking at Percy with awe. "Remarkable" Orm spoke first, "And that was a completely natural action? You didn't have to study for years to learn how?"

Percy shrugged, "Not really, it took me a while to learn that I could do it, but after that it was like breathing, under water and out.

Orm looked to be contemplating, "I suppose it would be too much to ask for DNA samples?"

Percy chuckled, "I don't really have DNA, but yeah no. I already have a couple friends looking at samples I provided them, and no offense but I barely know you."

Tula scoffed, "He Is the prince of Atlantis! I should think—"

"No, he's right." Orm spoke up, looking at Percy apologetically, "It was rude of me to even bring it up."

Percy waved him off, "It's alright," before looking at the food, "Uh… which ones are.."

Mera recommended some of the non-fish options, which he tried and liked, quite a lot in fact.

Aquaman cleared his throat, determined not to get sidetracked again, "Now then, as to the main reason why we called you here. Simply put: your lineage and control over the sea, regardless of your origins, make you an important figure to Atlantis."

Percy winced "I already told Queen Mera that I don't want to be King, you don't have to worry—"

"I am aware," Aquaman smiled, "And I'm grateful. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I'd be able to defeat you underwater." He grunted as Mera elbowed him in the side, giving him a sharp loo, but he only chuckled, "My wife doesn't like me showing weakness, but word has spread throughout the league that Batman and Martian have both seen inside your mind, and found you worth trusting."

This gained wide eyes from Mera, Orm, and Tula, having heard stories of the callous leaguer, before the king continued, "I understand you have no interest ruling this place, but once word spreads throughout Atlantis of who you are, there are some who may think you are better suited to rule than I, not that that is hard for them.'

Percy started in realization, "Ah, you want me to back you up?"

He gave an embarrassed shrug, "Well, if it's no issue…"

"No that's fine. I guess if you an balance ruling a kingdom and being a superhero you must be a pretty good guy, that and Kaldur speaks highly of you, so you can count on me. anything in particular you need form me?"

The royal couple looked joyed at the news, Mera waved her hand away, "Oh you shouldn't have to do much, unless it gets too rowdy. Just mention our support to whoever approach's you, when you're here that is. I'm uncertain how often that will be…"

Percy smiled, "That's actually a good transition on what I wanted to ask. I have pretty powerful control over the sea, but I've seen Kaldur do some things that I know I can't, like electrifying water. I was wondering if I could come try my hand at it, maybe attend a few classes see if I'm capable of learning."

Mera smiled brightly at this, "Of course, I always enjoy getting new students! And if Kaldur accompanies you, he can use the opportunity to further his own studies. That should be perfect!"

Percy smiled before turning to Kaldur, "Hear that, we can be study buddies. Maybe I can get those eel tattoos as well! Matching tats would be sick."

Kaldur laughed gently at the thought, before Tula spoke up, "Actually the eel tattoos are meant to be turned non-visible, Kaldur simply hasn't gotten far enough in his studies to know how."

Percy resisted the urge to snarl at the condescending tone in Tula's voice. Kaldur missed It entirely, and smiled at he , "Perhaps, we could use a tutor?"

Tula's yes widened, but before he could respond, Percy blurted out, "I need to use the bathroom."

The room was silent for a moment as if the Atlanteans were trying to process that he really said that in the middle of a dinner with royalty, but before they could, Percy stood up, dragging Kaldur out of the booth "Come on man, I need you to show me where the nearest one is." They were out of the room before Kaldur could protest.

Once they were well away from the dining room, Kaldur shook off Percy's hand, "What is going on? Is something wrong"

Percy sighed before turning to his friend, "Dude, Tula and Garth are together."

The Atlantean froze, staring at Percy incomprehension. "I don't understand."

Percy hated doing this, he knew it would hurt Kaldur, no matter what, but he felt he had to, "I know she's the girl you like and all, but Garth and her have been sharing a lot of looks I recognize."

Kaldur backed up, "No, you're wrong."

"I might be, but I might not. I know I'm no Aphrodite when it comes to this stuff, but I can see the obvious. The only reason you can't is because you love her, and love makes a man stupid. That I say from experience, not as an insult."

Kaldur had calmed down a little, but he still didn't believe it. "'But when I left we…"

A dawn of realization crossed his face as Percy nodded sadly, "You left four months ago man."

Kaldur sighed before leaning against the wall, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly tired, "I feel like such a fool."

Percy leaned next to him. "You're not a fool, you're in love, and hero. You've read the Geek Myths that rarely ends well, so far I have no evidence to say otherwise."

Kaldur winced at that before sighing deeply, "Thank you for telling me, before I… oh gods I was about to tell her I loved her, that I wanted to stay for her!"

Percy chuckled, "Direct approach huh? That's so you. Look man. I know she was the initial reason why you wanted to stay down here but, if you still want to stick around here for a while, I won't drag you home with me.

"Kaldur chuckled dryly, "I think this is the last place I want to be right now but thank you for saying that." He put a hand on Percy's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, "Thank you for this Percy, you always come through for me, even when I don't know I' need it."

Percy smiled, "Hey don't mention it. And hey I still might be wrong but don't get your hopes up, but we still should check. I wouldn't want to ruin your love life on a hunch. I could question them about it if you like…"

Kaldur shook his head, "No I believe you are right. Looking back now it is obvious." He stood up straight off the wall, "But we should not let this get us down." He turned to Percy with a firm expression, "Things may go wrong from time to time, and while I hurt now, I know there will be others for me, and for you."

Percy's eyes widened, "Kaldur… I might live forever. I would outlive any women I meet, and any children I have. I don't think I can—"

Kaldur rolled his eyes and put both hands-on Percy's shoulders, shaking him out of is depression spiral. "Percy. We are not in your universe anymore. There are beings other than gods and mortals, beings with extended lifespans, even indefinite ones. Do not lose hope."

Percy took a moment to think it over before smiling widely, "Yeah… you're right. I just have to keep looking huh? Well look at that, I guess we both helped each other?"

Kaldur nodded with a. smile before his expression turned sour, "Now let's help ourselves get through the rest of this dinner. It will no doubt be awkward after your previous outburst..."

Percy rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Yeah… it was the first thing that came to mind… sorry."

 **Later**

Dinner went pretty quick after that. Soon after Percy returned, Mera announced that she was pregnant with Arthur's baby, which caused for a round of celebration, and Percy giving Tula a truly smug "I told you so" look. Shortly after Aquaman was called away by the League on some mission and headed to the teleporters. Percy then let Kaldur lead him around the Conservatory, introducing him to his former classmates. Again, the variety in body types astounded him. There was one boy who resembled a small white whale, named Blubber. Percy tried hard not to snicker as he was interested

There was also a hot-headed guy with shark attributes, including a shark head, who was introduced as King Sha'ark. Percy was half expecting Kaldur to admit to fucking with him at that point.

Then there was the mermaid, or Lori. Apparently, she was Tritonis, while the conservatory resided in Posiedonis, and all the people of Tritonis had fish tail.

Percy made an off-hand remark about how they should probably have two tales by that logic, but they only frowned and confusion, so they moved on. Apparently, none of the students had heard about the son of Poseidon yet, instead thinking he was an ordinary surface dweller who could breathe underwater. This made Percy question their intelligence until he saw their sorcery. It went above and beyond his expectations. Apparently, there were spells for healing, attacking, even cleaning. That last one would be his first priority, he couldn't keep relying on Tyson to keep their room from smelling.

Eventually they were approached by Tula and Garth, hand in hand. Kaldur was showing Percy a great view from a cliff above the city when they called out to them."

Garth spoke first "Kaldur, there's something we have to tell you… we… er… that is…"

Tula, rolling her eyes a bit, took a deep breath and spoke a bit louder, "Kaldur we are to— ""

"Together. Yes, I know," Kaldur finished for her with a smile.

The pair blinked, "You do?"

Kaldur nodded, before pausing, "Actually Percy was the one to point it out to me. I am thankful that he did, otherwise I fear I might have made an ass of myself later on."

Garth looked at his friend apprehensively," Are you upset?"

Kaldur seemed to think about it, "I am… disappointed. I cannot say I have no regrets, but at the end of the day, you are both my friends, If you have found happiness with each other, I wouldn't dream of standing in your way. I am happy for you."

The couple seemed in awe at their friend, before they both enveloped the Atlantean in a hug, which Percy found a bit awkward, but if Kaldur felt the same, he didn't show it.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined as various explosions were set off behind them and in the city below.

The trio broke up to stare at the catastrophe in shock, while Percy was already looking for the best possible defense strategy. He turned to the Atlanteans, "I don't suppose that was scheduled?"

Garth gritted his teeth, "We are under attack!"

"From who?" Percy asked in exasperation.

"It is likely Black Manta." Kaldur said solemnly "He had a longstanding hatred for our king and his people, and an army to back him up."

"Those are populated areas!" Tula cried, "People could be hurt!"

"The guard will handle them," Garth stated, a little hopefully.

"Not if they are otherwise occupied." Kaldur growled as he pointed downwards, to a group of guards in a firefight with soldiers in sleek Black suits.

"We have to help them!" Garth exclaimed, already swimming forward, b8ut Kaldur quickly stopped him, "Stop! If we help them the civilians will die, and vice versa!"

"So what do we do?" Tula asked desperately, unused to these situations as Garth. To their surprise, instead of giving an answer, Kaldur Turned to Percy, who was standing on the edge of the cliff, staring down at the scene before him. "Perseus! What shall we do?"

Garth scoffed, "You would take orders from him? Poseidon's son or not this is our—" he was cut off as a the water around his mouth suddenly solidified and gagged him, his eyes widened as he struggled against it, but to no avail, even Tula couldn't help him.

Kaldur sighed but was unconcerned as Percy asked, "When Aquaman summons sea creatures, how does he do it? Like what steps does he take?"

Kaldur frowned, knowing that revealing such information could be considered treason, but he knew what Percy was thinking, so he didn't hesitate to say, "He visualizes his mind expanding around him, when it picks up on sea life he focuses on it and makes the connection."

Percy sniffed, "Okay, that gives me something to go on..."

Tula, now no longer paying attention to her gagged boyfriend, looked at Percy in confusion, "What are you—"

She stopped talking when he drew a full trident out of seemingly nothing. He held it in both hands in front of him, holding still for a moment, before suddenly shooting towards the ground, slamming the bottom of the weapon into the ground, and shouting, "COME!"

A ripple shot out form where the Trident struck, and even caused the ocean floor to tremble slightly beneath them. The ripple went out further and further until it was no longer in sight.

Before the Atlanteans could ask just what the hell kind of magic that was, Percy whipped around, revealing a truly furious expression as he addressed Kaldur, "Backup will be here soon. We should start taking out he enemy."

Kaldur nodded, but Tula shifted uncomfortably, "What about the civilians? They need help first and … what backup are you talking about?"

Percy regarded her with a steely look, that she could tell was not truly directed at her, "Fair enough, get to it. As for the backup, look up."

Garth and Tula did so, and what they saw sent shivers down their spines. It first appeared to be an enormous black cloud, covering the entirety of Poseidonis, but upon closer look, it was revealed to be a swarm of sea life. Sharks, dolphins, whales, guppies, creatures of every shape and size were swarming towards the barrier. When they reached it, they broke through the magic with overwhelming force. Some surged towards the wreckage, using strength in numbers to lift debris and take out unconscious or hurt civilians, while others used strength in numbers to attack the enemies.

Percy eyed Kaldur, "The whole "no killing" rule doesn't apply down, here right?"

Kaldur gulped, "You will face no judgement from us, but Percy are you alright? You seem—"

"Pissed off?" Percy asked a little forcefully, "I'm from New York Kaldur, we don't take kindly to this sort of thing." When he saw the confused looks he sighed, "Right… that never happened in this universe… the point is I don't like terrorists. Now come on it's time to get to work."

Garth swam forward, "We should go to the queen first, make sure she's alright.'"

The Queen was actually all right, though one might not realize that from looking at her. She was currently guarding several of her younger students from a squad of mantas, shielding them from their fire with an enormous octopus construct. She, of course. Had noticed the swarm of sea life that had spontaneously come to the cities aid, and for a moment she had a faint hope that her husband had returned early, but she knew that he was incapable of summoning such a large quantity of creatures. She didn't have time to ponder however, as she was under attack.

Just as she was about to run out of power for her construct, the fire was redirected. She looked to see her three students tearing a path through the manta troopers towards her. While Kaldur and Garth kept them busy, Tula rushed to her queens side as she released the construct with a tired sigh. "Queen Mera! Are you alright?"

The queen nodded before smiling at her pupil "I am glad you are all safe. Though, I am unsure the cause of our sudden reinforcements.

Tula looked confused as well but told her, "That was Perseus my queen, he called them somehow."

Mera's eyes widened before she nodded, "I suppose that makes sense. We'll have to thank him. Where is he?

"HYAAAAAAAH!"

In came Percy, wielding his trident in front of him as he shot through the water at impossible speeds. His trident managed to impale three enemies on it before the blade was completely covered, sending clouds of blood through the water. He quickly kicked the bodies off before rushing towards the others, stabbing some, taking others heads with the edge of the tridents he flew by, all in a matter of seconds. Within moments the squad was decimated, and Percy was already charging off to find more.

The Atlanteans were silent as they watched him go, before Mera asked, "Is he… alright?"

Kaldur sighed, "I believe he has some sort of grudge against 'terrorism', which is how he classified this attack."

"Hmm, spreading terror is always in play with Manta, but I believe there is more to this." Prince Orm swam from behind Mera, smiling reassuringly at the scared students behind her. "I've had reports of attacks in sectors 1-6, and 8-10 but sector 7 is remarkably undamaged."

Kaldur's eyes widened, "The research center… could they be after your creature?"

Orm considered it, "It is quite remarkable, it's healing abilities alone… You should head there now, make sure it's safe. I would go with you, but I must protect the queen, and the heir."

Mera scoffed "Protection from what? Between Perseus and his legion of sea life I doubt there will be any danger left between here and the center."

"Nevertheless," Orm stated firmly, "Manta's plan may yet hold more stages. Kaldur, Garth, Tula, you are our brightest sorcerers besides Mera, I don't wish to put you in harm's way but—"

"My prince do not worry," Kaldur bowed respectfully, "You could simply order us and we would not mind. We will serve gladly." The two behind him nodded in agreement before the trio swam off toward their adjective.

The trip there was quite fascinating. Everywhere you looked you could see sharks, dolphins, even octopi helping to move the ruckus. Once they even saw a chain of Octopi attached to a whale to help move a particular heavy piece of debris.

Then of course there was the occasional enemy, one even fired a shot at them, but they were stopped shortly after as a shark dragged him away. Manta troopers were being slaughtered everywhere by sharks of all shapes and sizes or electrocuted by groups of eels. It was a truly horrifying yet humbling sight, reminding the Atlantes of the power and majesty of the ocean they live in.

Eventually they made their way to the Research Center, which, surprise surprise, had a squad of manta troopers guarding it.

Kaldur quickly took command, leading his friends to quickly and quietly take the enemy out without alerting the others, so they weren't overwhelmed. They then headed inside.

As they were swimming down the corridor, Tula turned to Garth, "Do you think he's really okay with us?"

Garth looked at her in disbelief, "Are you sure this is the best time to talk about this

Tula wanted to argue that they might not have another chance, but when she looked ahead again, she froze. "Where's Kaldur?"

Before Garth could respond, the sound of a Manta troopers gun charging up sent shivers down their spines. Instead of a swift death however, the sounds of grunts and weapon hitting flesh sounded. They turned to see Kaldur hovering over two unconscious enemies with a mace construct.

Tula and Garth stared at their friend in awe. "How did you…"

Kaldur simply smirked, and proudly stated, "I too have my studies."

In the main chamber of the research center stood an enormous chunk of ice, holding inside it a massive starfish shaped silhouette. Currently, Black manta was directing his troopers to fasten a harness to the ice, in preparation to lift it out and away. However, he quickly noticed a pair of troopers enter the room, walking without the discipline he etched into all his underlings. He chuckled to himself before calling out to them, "Fancy seeing you here… Aqualad."

The two froze before turning to face him. He waited for whichever turned out to be Aqualad, but instead they both lifted their masks off to reveal Tula and Garth.

Tula smirked at the criminal, "I think you're confused. Aqualad is the guy who's about to beat your head in."

Manta's eyes widened under his mask, so much as to almost the eyes on the outside, and turned to block, far to slowly. Kaldur was already shooting from the shadows of the ceiling, his mace came down on Manta's head, but only managed to disorient him due to his high-tech helmet. Manta took a moment to recover before growling at his Nemesis' protégé "You really have no ambition past serving _Aquaman?_

Kaldur answered by charging in for another attack while Tula and Garth attacked the troopers around them. He was less concerned about them. He was incredibly irritated every time he had to face the teen, partly because of how many times he beat him, but mostly because of the fact that it was his own son following his enemy around like a lost puppy. Of course, he saw no use in telling him. He doubted it would make a difference, as brainwashed as he was with the Atlantean lifestyle. He might break it to him one day, as a last resort to get out of a sticky situation.

Now however, he channeled his irritation into pummeling the little upstart, sending a little eye blast his way every once in a while, if only to keep up appearances, he wasn't going to kill his own flesh and blood, at least without a good reason.

He hastily ordered his troopers to lift out the target, but the cord was cut by a magic attack from Tula. Time for plan B.

He did his best to act enraged as he turned towards the target and signaled his suit to send a rocket towards it. The projectile rose out of his shoulder pad, before shooting through the water faster than anyone could react to. Manta didn't stop to watch the fireworks however he was already on his way out, knowing the resulting explosion would be large enough to take the building down. He heard the impact, and then… nothing.

At that moment, Black Manta went against all his good judgment and turned around to see why the expected explosion didn't happen. He had a half second to see a dome of hardened water surrounding the target, what was left of it, before a sharp pain erupted in his left shoulder, and momentum yanked him backwards until he was slammed against the wall.

His eyes were clenched shut in pain before he took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look at the offending object. His eyes widened when he saw it was a large, and frankly beautiful trident, impaling his shoulder and pinning him to the wall. His first thought was: _Aquaman should be away on the distraction!_

But after a moment, he decided that this was not the trident of his nemesis, but no less deadly or beautiful as the Trident of Neptune, if not more so. He then looked up and saw who through it.

Percy had swum in through the hole the troopers were using to lift out the creature. He was currently swimming above the dome he conjured to contain the explosion. As Manta stared at him, the only thing in his mind was: _WHO THE HELL IS THAT?_

Then he blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he found the kid inches away from his face, a foot on his chest, and a hand gripping the trident. "So, you're the one who orchestrated this huh?"

Manta was about to answer, or maybe shoot him with an eye blast, but before he could decide, Percy ripped the trident out of him, not caring as the barbs tore through his flesh on the way out. This of course caused a leak in his armor, but it quickly sealed itself, one of its many handy functions.

Manta was in pain, but he was also chuckling inwardly, as that was the only thing holding him still. He went to fight back but found he couldn't move. It was if the water around him was holding him in place. He was entirely at the kid's mercy, so seeing no other option, he tired stalling, "Who are you?"

The kid glared at him, before asking, "You're human, aren't you? That suit is the only thing keeping you from suffocating?"

Manta narrowed his eyes under the mask, "What of it?"

Percy smirked, "Let's see how long you last without it. The names Perseus by the way."

Manta would normally scoff at that, his armor was notoriously tough, with no room for leaks at an atomic level, but this boy had already pierced it, and he was immobilized, so he was already panicking when the water around him seemed to dig into his armor and rip it away from him like the ocean itself had turned against him. He was soon left in a simple wetsuit, struggling to hold his breath, while Percy watched impassively.

That is, until Kaldur called out, "Percy stop!"

The son of Poseidon looked at his friend in confusion, "Why? You can't tell me he doesn't deserve it!"

Kaldur winced, "No I can't, but this is not his first crime, he has much to answer for. That's why he doesn't deserve such mercy. Let him stand trial in Atlantis! Please!"

Percy regarded his friend for a moment before rolling his eyes and forming a bubble of air around the villain's head, though he had already passed out from lack of oxygen, "Fine, but please tell me you have the death penalty down here?"

 **(This is not political btw, I'm not taking a stance on death penalty, but Percy has a way he deals with enemies, and this guy has pissed him off)**

Kaldur smiled in relief , "As a matter of fact, we do."

 **Later.**

Aquaman returned to find a good chunk of his kingdom destroyed and being rebuild by both Atlanteans and a variety of sea life. He also learned that his Nemesis, Black Manta, was taking out in a matter seconds by their guest.

Most men would have a bruised ego over this, and Arthur was no different, but he would not look a gift horse in the mouth. He made sure to publicly thank Perseus for his deed, while also formally introducing him to his kingdom.

He then let Percy speak, and to his relief, he simply waved off his army of sea life and easy takedown of Atlantis' most wanted and talked about how he was in awe of the culture and architecture he found down here, before talking about how amazed he was that Arthur was able to juggle ruling such a place with saving the rest of the world, albeit a bit awkwardly, but it did the jo. There would be no overthrowing him anytime soon. Orm also reported a piece of the creature survived, and that he would send it to STAR Labs for further study.

He made sure to thank Percy for what he did, but the boy just waved him off and let him know that the creatures would leave when the construction was finished, and that they should refrain from hunting them or anything. Mera was quick to assure them that they would not, and with that, The son of Poseidon left with Kaldur, but not before being ambushed by a swarm of grateful Atlanteans, the majority of which were female. Percy very politely greeted them and turned them all down, even the ones that didn't have the lower half of a fish.

It still astounded Aquaman. The boy obviously had immense power under the sea, power that was greatly diminished when he walked on land. He would do well in Atlantis, and showed no discomfort in any way being down there. Yet he still decided to return to New York. Arthur decided to just count his blessings in the end. If he did stay down there, he might be out of a job, whether he or and Percy liked it or not

One thing was for sure however: Percy had done much to help Atlantis, and Atlantis would not soon forget it.

 **The morning after Percy and Kaldur left.**

Tyson was excited.

Okay he got excited for a lot of things but his was different. Today M'gann had promised to teach Superboy and Him how to cook. Until now, it was a skill he had always looked at fondly but never had time to learn. When he was interning at his father's forges, the Cyclopes there practically lived off of Peanut butter.

Superboy, though he wouldn't admit it, was interested as well. When he heard M'gann and Tyson talking about it, he cautiously asked if he could join, claiming he had nothing better to do that day, which technically wasn't a lie.

The trio was currently standing in the kitchen, with Superboy and Tyson standing next to each other before M'gann, like soldiers standing before a superior officer.

M'gann clapped her hands together, "Okay! What do you guys want to start with?"

Superboy simply shifted silently while Tyson pondered the question, "What all do you know?"

M'gann flushed a bit, "I…. actually, have been studying earth cooking for a few years now, I've only recently had hands on experience, but I have yet to fail a dish. So basically, what s your favorite food?"

"I don't know." Superboy answered simply

"Uh… donuts?"

M'gann smiled awkwardly at the two hopeless cases before her, "Okay… why don't we start with something simple? Like chicken quarters!"

Both boys seemed to agree to that, so they got started. Tyson asked where the chicken was, so they could slaughter it, but M'gann just chuckled nervously and pulled out a store bought package off chicken quarters from the fridge, "Why don't we just use this?"

She then went on to explain a simple way of preparing the quarters. First, she slavered a quarter with olive oil, then seasoning them with a wide variety of spices. The boys seemed to get it easy enough and began to season their pieces. All was going well until she saw that they were trying to replicate the way she seasoned it exactly.

She quickly spoke up, "Uh guys? You don't have to do it exactly how I did it. You can use whatever spices you want, personally I like mine to be a bit spicy, but you may not."

Superboy had a bit of a red tinge on his cheeks at his mistake, but gave her a silent nod of thanks, while Tyson asked, "How do we know what spices we like?"

M'gann smiled at the good question, 'Well, most of taste is based on smell, so sue whatever smells best, and what you think would go well together. Give them a sniff. 

Tyson's mouth formed an O before he went back to it, while Superboy brought up a red pepper container to his nose, giving it a good sniff.

Unfortunately he seemed to forget about his powerful lungs ,which made his nostrils into vacuums that sucked the pepper into his nose, making him start coughing and sneezing uncontrollably. M'gann used all her willpower to stop from giggling at his actions while she patted him on the back, before Tyson gave him a good smack on the back, that somehow expelled all the dust in one go.

After Superboy caught his breath, he looked up at M'gann seriously, "That didn't happen."

She blinked, "Uhhh…"

"What didn't happen?" Tyson asked innocently, before giving M'gann a small smile. No doubt Superboy saw it, but he simply huffed in satisfaction, before finishing seasoning his Chicken quarter.

M'gann and Tyson finished theirs as well, and the differences in taste were made apparent: M'gann liked it mildly spicy, Superboy liked it with as little spice as possible, and Tyson liked his with a heap of garlic on it, among other things.

Satisfied, M'gann turned to the oven, only to scoff, "Darn it! I forgot to preheat the oven. Ugh, I guess it's going to take a little longer, sorry guys..."

Tyson frowned, before walking past her and opening the oven, ands sticking his head and arms inside. This gave M'gann a mini heart attack as she had just turned it on, but she quickly reminded herself of his heat resistance. she was about to ask what he was doing, as he seemed to be adjusting and tinkering with things inside, but before she could ask, she had to jump back as a huge fireball exploded out of the oven, engulfing Tyson in an instant before dissipating.

M'gann was at a loss for words as Tyson pulled himself out of the Oven and smiled proudly, "It's hot enough now!"

Then the sprinklers turned on.

"Oops…" Tyson muttered as his shoulders stiffened. Luckily Superboy was already grabbing the pans with the quarters and shoving them in the oven so they weren't ruined by the water.

"I-I'm sorry!" Tyson exclaimed as the emergency fire suppression system was set off all over the mountain, M'gann was trying to keep dry by stretching out her hand into an umbrella shape over her head, but in the end she was still getting et in the process. Superboy just stood there awkwardly, "Just let me go shut off the sprinklers! I'm really sorry!"

He then rushed off, brushing by Kara and Raven as they emerged from their rooms to see why their belongings were getting soaked. The cyclops blurted out an apology to them as he passed before rushing off to where the sprinkler system was controlled.

The two made their way into the kitchen to see the other soaked members of the mountain, "What happened?" Kara asked, not seeing a fire.

M'gann was a little unsure of how to answer, so Superboy said, "Tyson tried to heat up the oven a little too quickly. Honestly, the moment Percy leaves…"

Raven only nodded her head in understanding as Kara took a few moments to figure out how that made sense, eventually giving up when the sprinklers suddenly stopped, leaving the cavern home only slightly less wet than it could have been.

Raven sniffed before looking at the oven, the counter with the other (wet) chicken quarters. "You're making chicken?"

M'gann's eyes widened, before she smacked her forehead "Hello Megan! I'm sorry guys! I was teaching Tyson and Superboy how to cook and… I should have considered hat you 'd want some—"

Kara raised er hands to stop her, "Whoa girl, it was just a question, not a guilt trip. You guys are fine."

"It is a shame though," Raven said, still eyeing the soggy chicken, "It's been a while since I had chicken.

M'gann sighed, "I'm sure Tyson didn't mean to set off the sprinklers—"

"Oh, I know." Raven stopped her, "Though as smart as he is, it makes you wonder how he made such a mistake."

M'gann looked at her in alarm, "You think somethings bothering him?"

Raven shrugged, "I didn't use my powers on him but… it wouldn't be a surprise, considering."

Everyone in the room nodded their head in agreement, except for Kara, who was confused, "Considering what? Oh! Cause he's in the same boat as Percy? That would make sense, do you think he had like a Cyclops girlfriend or something?"

M'gann was about to snap at the Kryptonian that she shouldn't talk about something like that so casually, but before she could, Tyson's voice spoke from across the room, "S-she was a Harpy…."

Everyone snapped to see Tyson standing at the entrance of the living room, holding something that looked suspiciously like a proton gun from Ghostbusters. They were less concerned about that than the tears welling up in his eye, before he ran out of the room, choking back tears unsuccessfully.

Without a word, M'gann was shooting through the air after him a look of deep concern on her face, while Raven trailed calmly after her, but not before giving Kara a look that said. well not much considering it was him but Kara got the implications.

The Kryptonian backed up a bit in defense, "I'm sorry! I didn't think he actually—"

"Didn't think he actually what?" Superboy snapped from beside her, "Just because he has one eye he can't have someone special?"

For a moment Kara forgot she was in the wrong, "That wasn't what I meant at all! it's just—"

"Save it!" he spat before jogging after the rest, leaving Kara to wonder how she once again fucked up so badly.

M'gann followed Tyson down through the forge, ignoring the unpleasant heat, further into the Cove, and into the little side room he hid with a boulder. It was rolled away in a clearly half hazard fashion, revealing a heartbreaking scene within.

The past few weeks, Tyson had been using his spare time to work on a very special project. Most things he could accomplish in a manner of hours, or even minutes, but this was different. Each feather was crafted individually, with the utmost love and care, then painstakingly arranged in the proper formation.

In the middle of h small room was mannequin with outstretched arms. Attached under an on the end of each arm was a pair of scarlet wings, made of perfectly crafted feathers forged from Tiber metal. The feathers started under each armpit and continued down the length of the arm, with straps wrapping around the bicep and forearm. At each hand was a handle the user could grab for better control, before the wings continued outward for a couple more feet.

M'gann had been honored to be able to help Tyson with it from time to time. Though he never stated it, she knew the project was some sort of coping mechanism to deal with the loss of his first… love? Crush? Girlfriend? They didn't know each other that long but he loss of Ella ha obviously taken a heavy toll on Tyson, and these wings were how he dealt with it. Whether it was effective or not, M'gann was beginning to have doubts.

Like now for instance. As Tyson struggled to keep from crying loudly, he started crafting new feathers to fill the empty spots. The first one he made looked perfectly fine to M'gann, but apparently he saw something she didn't because he cried out in frustration before crushing it like clay and staring again.

Raven walked in shortly after that, but unlike M'gann, was instantly distracted by the wings, as was Superboy as he came in moment after, "Woah…"

Tyson whirled around at Superboy's entrance, eye red and voice shaky as she spoke "Oh! This was supposed to be a surprise... but I guess it still is. Can I take your measurements?"

Superboy blinked in confusion, "Those are for me?"

Tyson nodded, wiping his face, "Percy told me how you were disappointed when you learned you couldn't fly, but now you can! With your strength it shouldn't be any trouble getting lift, and I even colored them to match your symbol and—"

"Dude," The clone finally spoke, "I'm not sure—" he cut off with a wince as M'gann's voice filed his brain, causing him to meet her meaningful glare. After a moment, he got the message as his eyes widened, "Uh…. I mean actually it might be better if you wear them don't' you think?"

Tyson blinked, "What?"

"Well it's not that I don't appreciate it, but, well, feathers aren't really my style you know? Plus was strong as you are you could probably go way faster—"

"I can't wear them!" Tyson exclaimed, looking more stressed out by the second.

"Why not?" Raven questioned.

Tyson looked around at them as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "B-because I can't!"

"Tyson," M'gann spoke softly, "We don't understand, why can't you wear them? Will they not work for you? Are you… afraid of hei—"

"I just CAN'T OKAY!" Tyson shouted, before gasping at himself, and turning to lean over his work table, hiding his face from the others, but not the tears dripping onto the table..

After a moment he whispered, "I—I don't deserve them…"

Everyone heard him, but only one understood, and now M'gann was crying as hard as Tyson, as she approached him and tentatively draped herself over his back holding him from behind, or as much as she could reach. Then she whispered, "Tyson it… it wasn't your fault."

She felt him tense up beneath her, which with his muscles made it feel like she was lying on a slab of concrete. Still she continued, "I saw the fight from Percy's eyes. He might not have seen everything, but it was enough to know that what happened to Ella wasn't your fault."

"…But… I brought her there… I should have taken care of her! Instead I let her get crushed under that gods damned giant's foot!" He was practically screaming at the table he was leaning on, but M'gann only hugged him tighter.

"You didn't force her there Tyson, I know you wouldn't do that. She came because she wanted to, she knew the risks. I might not have known her, but I think that she wouldn't want you hurting this badly over her death."

Tyson paused for a moment at that, "She's not dead. Not really anyway. She'll reform in Tartarus, and that's even worse. You've seen how that place is, and this will be her first time reforming! She'll be scared and alone! The other Harpies were already mean to her, imagine what the ones down there will do!"

That sent a shiver down even Superboy's spine. He had an idea of what Tartarus was like. The thought of someone he knew going there gave him an idea of what Tyson was feeling. Still he had to speak up, "From what I've heard of her, she seems really smart right?"

Tyson sniffed at that before answering, "…yeah, she was the smartest. She never forgot anything."

"Then I bet she read something that could help her out in a bad situation. But beyond that, you need to stop insulting her memory."

Tyson whirled around immediately, nearly throwing off M'gann, who was also staring at Superboy. In surprise. "I would never—"

"She died helping _you_ " Superboy stated firmly, "She went into it knowing she would die but she did it anyways for you. wherever she is now, she probably feels proud of herself for what she did for you, yet here you are saying it was your fault and not even thanking her! How do you think that would make her feel? Huh?"

M'gann was shocked by the clone's words, wondering where they were coming form, but when she detected the slight waver in his voice, she wagered that not even he knew.

Tyson was thinking. Very hard by the looks of it, before slowly he responded, "Not very good…"

"Exactly," Superboy stated, "It's okay to feel bad that she's gone, but don't take away from what she did for you by blaming yourself for it. And you're going to use those wings, not because you deserve them, even though you do, but because it's how you're going to honor Ella's memory, you got that?"

Tyson nodded quickly, "Right."

Superboy nodded in satisfaction, "Good. I'm gonna go check on the chicken." He headed back upstairs leaving Raven to look after him impassively, and M'gann to wonder just how the guy who wasn't even a year old got so damn wise all of a sudden.

Raven turned back to Tyson, seeming to hesitate before saying, "I don't usually do this but… a part of my powers besides feeling others emotions is the ability to take emotions away and make others feel something different. I could help… alleviate the pain if you want."

Tyson stared at her in awe for a moment before smiling, "No thanks. I think I'm good for mow. Thank you though.

Raven nodded before exiting after Superboy. That left Tyson and M'gann alone.

M'gann was still standing behind the cyclops when he said, "Thank you."

Her eyes widened before she looked down, "I… that was all Superboy. I don't think I helped all that much."

Tyson turned to stare at her with a smile, one that she couldn't help but return, though she tried not to, "You did more than that. Really, thank you."

M'gann was still unsure of what she did, but she was glad all the same. She was about to say that he was welcome, but before she could, he grabbed her hand firmly and started leading her upstairs, "Let's finish up the chicken!"

The Martian girl simply let him lea her, using the opportunity to enjoy his large hand around hers.

Upstairs, the others were still trying to dry off of the extra chicken in hopes of making more, not even bothering with the rest of the place. As soon as Kara spotted Tyson, and his red eye from crying, she rushed towards him and started apologizing, but he stopped her, "It's okay. I know you didn't know."

She was relieved that he forgave her, but still not satisfied with herself, "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Tyson thought for a moment, before saying, "I might have something I'll need help with later."

She nodded, "Just ask."

Superboy hoisted up the weird rifle-like object Tyson had brought in earlier, "What is this thing anyway? It looks like a flamethrower."

Tyson rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Close, it's a heat gun, I was going to use it to dry all the rooms."

"When did you make that?" Raven asked.

"While I was taking care of the sprinklers

That only got silence. While all of them should be used to his crafting skills by now, they still found it amazing every time. Finally M'gann said , "Why don't we test it out then? Maybe on the chicken?"

Tyson nodded, before taking the gun and firing it up. He aimed it at the chicken quarters and pulled the trigger. As he did, the air around the chicken started to ripple with heat. After five seconds he released it, leaving the wings no longer soggy.

"That's amazing!" Kara exclaimed, "That's like Krypton level technology! Well the technology of my old hairdryer… but it took you like five minutes to build it?"

Tyson chuckled nervously, 'Yeah… I've been way better at building things since I came here."

Raven spoke up, "I've been looking into it. Apparently all cyclopes are naturally gifted from birth in forging where he's from. That doesn't just happen naturally, so I discovered that a part of his brain is being fueled by the magic surrounding him. Since the magic is greater inn this universe, so is his brain.

"What's the most complicated thing you've done?" Kara asked

"… I made the television run better?"

Superboy scoffed, "Better? It is the highest definition in the mountain and picks up every channel on earth."

Tyson shook his head, "It's not that big a deal guys, can't we just finish the chicken? I can dry off your rooms while you do the seasoning." He addressed Kara and Raven for that last apart, partly asking permission.

They agreed, but all of them knew that they would have to talk about Tyson's abilities at some point. They decided to take his advice however and enjoyed the chicken. Kara, like Supergirl, seemed to avoid the spicy stuff, while Raven leaned into it completely, creating a piece of chicken that scared everyone at the table just by looking at it.

When they were all cooked, they sat around the coffee table in the living room and ate them together. That had a weird start.

As everyone was taking the first bite of their creations, a large _CRUNCH_ was heard from Tyson. Everyone looked to see that instead of eating the meat off the bone like they were doing, Tyson had just taken a huge bite of the quarter, chomping straight through the bone and chewing everything up in his mouth with ease, and form the looks of it, enjoying it immensely.

When he realized he was being watched, he blushed brightly and put his chicken down, swallowing quickly "Sorry! I shouldn't have done tha—"

 _CRUNCH_

The cyclops' eye widened before he turned to see Superboy had taken a similar bite, cutting through the bone with his highly durable teeth. He then nodded in approval, "Crunchy… I like it."

Another crunch signaled M'gann doing the same thing, hardening the inside of her mouth so the bones didn't cut her as she chewed. Kara was a bit taken back at first, but eventually shrugged and gave it a try to find that she also liked it. "I didn't realize there was so much goodness inside the bone!"

Tyson nodded enthusiastically, "That's the marrow! Some people think it's gross, but it's actually a delicacy in some places!"

Then everyone turned towards Raven, who raised an eyebrow, "I'm… good, but by all means enjoy yourselves." She took a normal bit.

 **Central City**

Wally was having a great time. Not that it was hard for him, he was a speedster after all. But he never had as much fun as when he was with his family.

Extended family that is. Aunt Iris, Uncle Barry, his parents, and his pseudo grandparents. Jay Garrick was the original Flash, now retired, who liked to keep in touch with the ones carrying on his name, his wife Joan sat beside him at the dinner table, as everyone celebrated his birthday.

"So, 92 years old and you still look around 60," Barry stated with a grin, "I hope my powers help like that."

Jay chuckled, "You wish kid. My powers are purely chemical, I never need that fancy smancy 'speed force' that is all the rage with the youngsters these days." That earned a round of chuckles.

Despite being 92, and despite right, Jay wasn't actually serous. In fact he was happy that the modern-day heroes had powers that greatly surpassed those of his day. but he and Barry couldn't help but fall into their cycle of Banter. They claimed that as speedsters, it was important to keep your tongue as quick as your feet.

The older man looked at Wally, who was tucking into his meal with a vengeance. "Speaking of youngsters, what's the deal with that new guy Perseus, and his Cyclops friend? I saw him on the news, seems like a nice enough fellow, but I bet you would know better than I."

Wally was about to respond when Barry spoke first, "The kids nice and all once you get to know him, but he's got a real mean streak. Not even a day into this universe and he already killed someone."

The couples gasped at his while Wally rolled his eyes, "Okay one, the guy he killed was a ten-foot monster who was trying to kill us and him so—"

"That doesn't make it right." Barry stated not even looking at him,

Wally narrowed his eyes, "I didn't say that, but I figured a little context is warranted so they don't think he's just a mindless brute." He turned to his family, "His world isn't like ours at all. We fight thugs and villains, he fought literal monsters and gods."

Jay snorted, "Gods… don't tell me you believe that magic mumbo jumbo?"

Iris spoke up, "Jay, you know Wonder Woman is a daughter of Zeus."

He nodded, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that Zeus is a god. He's probably some extradimensional being, but gods aren't real."

Wally nodded, "That's what I thought, but from what I've seen, what he's done… I don't know if the same applies to his universe. I mean he literally has golden ichor flowing through his veins!"

Joan frowned, "Ichor? Isn't that what full gods have? The news said he's a demigod."

Wally winced, not daring to meet Barry's icy look beside him "That's the leagues story, but he's actually a god… or something. He said he used to bleed red but started bleeding golden when he came here. According to him he isn't nearly as powerful as real gods but…"

Wally's mom looked at her son with concern, "But what sweetheart?"

"I saw him part the freak ocean guys. Not even a straight line, he made a freaking hole in the middle of the ocean with nothing but air with his mind. I reached my hand and felt nothing keeping the water from crashing down on me… I don't know about you but I don't have a scientific explanation for that."

"All magic is just science that we don't understand yet," Barry insisted, "but yeah… that's pretty weird."

Jay leaned back in his chair, "Still, a kid that young, already killing? It's not right Monsters or no monsters. "

Wally chuckled dryly, "That's the craziest part. Mentally he's older than Jay."

The retired speedster nearly choked on his drink. "What? How?"

"it's not really my place to tell the whole story, but I can say that he was stuck in some weird time dilation, and the vast majority of the time was not pleasant. Most of the time he acts as young as he looks, or as close has he can get, but sometimes when you look in his eyes… you can tell. He's seen some shit."

"Wally! Language"! his mother snapped, before his dad put a hand on her arm, "I think it's warranted this time sweetie."

Iris spoke brightly, trying to lighten the mood, "What about the Cyclops, Mr. T."

Wally grinned, "Sweetest guy I've ever met believe it or not, and a hel—heck of a blacksmith and all round handyman."

Jay nodded, "I saw the bridge footage. I'll give it to him that was a nice touch. But why one eye? Was it a birth deformity?

Wally deadpanned, "No, he's a real Cyclops, you know, the Greek kind. He's also immune to heat and has super senses. Not to mention I've seen him go toe to toe with Superman and match his strength."

Joan shivered, "That's… scary. Don't Greek Cyclopes eat people in the myths? I remember something like that in the Odyssey."

Wally shrugged, "He doesn't but he's met some who did. Apparently, he fought Polyphemus himself. But yeah, T wouldn't hurt a fly, he definitely could, but he never would.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in those two." Wally's' dad commented.

Wally nodded slowly, "They have their issues, and we've ad some rough spots here and there, but honestly… I can't help but admire them. You know?"

His mom huffed, "Well as long as you don't go around killing people…"

"Mom!"

Barry rolled his eyes, "Relax I've taught him better than that."

"Thank you!"

His mentor smirked, "What you really need to worry about is the looks I've seen him giving Green Arrow's new protégé. What exactly is going on with you and her?"

As the entire table turned towards him, eager for an answer, Wally sighed In defeat, "This is no longer fun."

 **Gotham city**

The Batcave was louder than normal. It was a rare occasion when Bruce and Dick were in there at the same time, when they weren't working on a case together. Bruce was at the computer, typing away at something or another while Robin clobbered some training dummies. Alfred was upstairs, making them dinner.

Just as he finished a beautiful roundhouse, Dick was caught off guard by the sound of his adoptive fathers voice, "So you gave him a belt?"

Dick cringed. He had taken one of the utility belt basis and used it for Percy's birthday gift… without asking Batman. Honestly it was a miracle Bruce hadn't noticed till now.

"I noticed immediately." Oh, "I didn't say anything because I do trust you and wanted to see what you'd do with it."

Dick looked over at him curiously, "And?"

Bruce turned in his chair to face his son, "It was a wise investment, though I wish you would have asked."

Dick sighed, "I'm sorry Bruce, it was just so last minute, and you were on a case, and afterwards I didn't tell you because—"

"You were afraid of my reaction?" Dick nodded sadly.

Bruce stood up and walked over to his protege, "Only criminals should have to be afraid of me Dick. The worst you would have gotten was a grounding and less nights on patrol but considering who you gave it to I'll make an exception this time."

Dick looked up at his mentor in shock, "Really?"

Bruce smirked, "He's already testing Armor for me. it seems fair."

Dick wasn't convinced. After a moment he asked, "You really trust him huh? Even though he killed somebody?"

Bruce's smirk faded, and he turned away, "Yes. I do."

"Why?"

Brue considered for a moment before answering, "He's killed before, monsters and fellow demigods a like. Yet somehow, he never gets used to it. At least for the demigods. He feels regret for what he did to blockbuster, but he wouldn't hesitate to do it again if he felt he had to. That's the difference between him and I. To me killing is temptation, one that I cannot fall into. To him it's a tool, one that he uses effectively."

"…do you think he should be allowed to kill then?"

Batman didn't respond, instead walking back to his computer and resuming his work."

 **A day after the Atlantis attack**

After docking safely in the cove below Percy and Kaldur made their way upstairs to greet the others. They were a bit disappointed that no one was there to welcome them as they docked, but figured there was a reason,

What they found when they got there was another disappointment ,but also a bit of a relief. No one was at the dock because they were all lined up in front of Batman, wearing their uniforms, except for Tyson that is.

The water-based heroes reluctantly joined them as Batman nodded. "Glad you could join us." He turned to the holographic display, "The Watchtower picked up an immense power surge in the Bialian desert last night. It has since ceased, but it still warrants investigation, under the radar." He looked at Kara and Raven, "This will be your first stealth mission with the team. I'm taking a bit of a gamble letting you participate, considering how little we know of you and how little experience you have. You did well with Clayface but his will require a lot more finesse. "

Raven nodded, returning his gaze steadily, "I won't let you down."

Kara struggled to meet Batman's eyes, "I can do this!"

"Good. However, as a bit of advice: Raven, stick close to M'gann, her powers are the closest to yours, so she should be a good lead to follow." Raven nodded. "Kara, follow Superboy. He might not be as strong, but he already knows his role well." Kara saluted awkwardly, before simply nodding. Batman he turned to Percy, "You will be going into a desert region. I'd advice bringing a lot of water with you."

Percy smirked an shot a finger gun, "Got it, we'll be prepared."

As he finished talking, a little spout of water burst form the tip of Percy's finger, arching immediately downwards, honestly a bit sadly while everyone watched in confusion.

Eventually the spout slowed to a drip before stopping entirely at which point Percy said, "I swear that never happens!" 

**Chapter 14**

 **Sorry this is so late but not enough that it won't happen again.**

 **Next chapter will be interesting. It will of coursed be based off Bereft, but with the addition of three new members how will that change things? Suspense suspense yada yada**

 **Honestly, I'm more excited about an idea I've been brainstorming recently. it's an original idea for a book series. I think I may have found a way to combine magic, monsters, high school, and lightsabers. Let me know if you want to hear more about it, I would love someone to bounce ideas off of.**


	15. Chapter 15

Third Person POV 

M'gann groaned, trying her best to sort out her thoughts, mainly to alleviate the throbbing pain in her head After a moment she finally regained rational thought, and realized she had no idea where she was.

She quickly bolted up, off of what she recognized as desert sand. At first, she wondered if she had fallen asleep again when taking some alone time, but that idea was dashed when she realized that this sand was not native to her home world.

She observed her surroundings, thinking to herself in the Martian language. 'Where am I? Why am I in this form… and this looks like Uncle J'onn's outfit! Could I be…'

She smacked herself in the forehead, "Hello Megan! I'm on earth! But how did I get here? And why does my head hurt so much?"

She had started walking through the sand dunes toward … well she wasn't sure yet, but she soon felt her foot slip, leading to a short tumble down the dune. As soon as she stopped rolling, she mentally chided herself, for forgetting that she could levitate.

She sighed, "Could this be… a dream? "

Boom

She yelped as something crashed into the sand next to her. The sand cleared to reveal aa teenage human male, or at least it looked human. He was hunched over with a strange look in his eye.

As she eyed him, she noticed a red S symbol on his black shirt. "I've seen that symbol… are you… Superman?"

As if to answer, he ripped the symbol off of his shirt and yelled at the top of his lungs before pouncing on her. she quickly dodged, flying out of his path before he could crash down where she once was.

She felt her heart beating rapidly as she watched him turn towards her again. He was fast. Too fast for any humans. He must be something else, though whether he was Kryptonian… he didn't seem to take being called one every well.

As she was thinking, he pounced again. Too caught up in her thoughts to notice, she realized he was going to hit her. she clenched up, gritting her teeth as she prepared for impact. She may be young, but she was still a Martian, she could take a great deal of punishment.

However, the impact never came. Instead she heard a strange thumping noise that seemed reverberate over the desert in every direction. She looked up to see the feral boy desperately on some kind of glass…wall. Black glass. Or was it… shadows?

She then noticed a beam extending from the wall and meeting the hand of a strange pale girl in a dark cloak, and a rather tight-fitting outfit underneath, not that M'gann could talk.

She snapped out of her thoughts with a blush and looked at the girl who was gritting her teeth has the boy banged on the shadow wall. She seemed to be straining to keep it up, until finally he seemed to lose interest and jump away.

M'gann took a moment to catch her breath before looking at the new girl "T-Thank you."

The dark cloaked girl nodded to her after regaining her breath, "Don't mention it… any idea who that was?"

M'gann frowned as she looked to where the boy went, "I… thought it was superman. Though now that I think about it he seemed a lot older on tv… uh… who are you?" The girl raised an eyebrow at her forwardness, making M'gann blush, "Sorry! Uh that was rude. My name is M'gann, I should have started with that…"

The girl hummed thoughtfully "It's fine. My name's Raven. You're... from Mars, right?"

M'gann nodded quickly, "I am… though I can't remember how I got here."

Raven studied her, "Do you remember what the date is? In earth time?"

M'gann had to think about it for a moment before nodding, "It would be March, right?"

Raven sighed, "So it happened to you too huh? That's the last thing I remember too, but in reality, it's September."

M'gann's eyes widened before they narrowed in confusion, "But how do you know? Do you have watch or something?"

Raven shrugged, "I know a basic time telling spell. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to learning a location spell, so I can't help you there."

M'gann barely paid attention to that last part, she was already in awe, "So that was magic back there? I wasn't sure but… that's amazing! It must have been incredibly difficult to learn such..." Raven gave her a pointed look "Sorry, I just... I've always admired the masters of the mystic arts on Mars, and I've heard amazing things about the magic users on earth and…. I'm rambling aren't I?"

Raven simply nodded, "Yeah but it's okay. I think we should probably try and find something to explain why we're here right?'

M'gann nodded determinedly, "Right! Uh… which way..."

Raven looked around before pointing, "Let's try north for now." Can you fly?"

M'gann lifted into the air to answer, and the pair were soon flying above the desert, looking for any sign of why they were there.

 **Meanwhile, somewhere else in the desert**

Wally was having a weird day.

I mean waking up in an abandoned house, in the middle of a desert, with an unconscious girl with what looked like a green Arrow fixation would be considered weird for anybody. But even then, it got weirder. The colors of his suit were changed from yellows and reds to grays and blacks. He didn't remember even considering such a costume change.

Nevertheless, he wasn't alone, he didn't have time to freak out. That being said, he also couldn't help but speak his mind when waking her up.

"Hey beautiful, wake up." He generally nudged her arm, causing her to groan unhappily, before slowly opening her eyes open.

He smiled down at her, "Hey."

Her eyes widened, and she crawled backwards three feet until her back hit the wall. "W-who are you?! Where am I!"

Wally held up his hands to calm her down, "Woah there it's okay. Unfortunately, I don't really know where we are, I'm foggy on that as well, but as for me," he struck a pose, "I'm Kid Flash!"

The girl simply looked at him, not at all impressed, "I've seen the news, Kid Flash doesn't wear black."

He faltered for a moment before chuckling nervously, "Yeah I'm not sure abo8t that myself… what about you? judging by your outfit you're what… an up and comer?"

Artemis looked confused, "And up and comer…" she looked down, before growing enraged, "Who put me in this!"

Wally's instincts screamed not to get anywhere near that, but for some reason his mouth didn't agree, "No idea, cross my heart, but if it makes you feel better, you definitely make it work."

As soon as it was out of his mouth he was reeling with shock. Had he really just said that? He was about to apologize to the shocked blonde, when her look of surprise slowly turned into a sly smirk as she stood up, taking another look at her outfit "Well, I guess I can't argue with that."

She looked at the now shocked wally who was wondering if he was dreaming, as that would honestly make more sense. Sure, he flirted a lot during hero work, but the most he's ever gotten was a shy giggle from the occasional damsel. I mean calling himself 'Kid Flash" wasn't exactly helping his case. The archer rolled her eyes, and made her way to the door, "Wake up Speedy! We should probably find out what's going on."

He shook himself back to the present with a slight pout, ready to correct her, as it always annoyed him when he was called that, when a far-off noise got his attention. It was deep, but also whistling? The girl seemed to hear it to and was also confused. Luckily Wally had a faster thought process with his powers, so he realized what was happening before it was too late.

He called out a quick apology before activating his superspeed and scooping her up in his arms. He managed to get them to a safe distance outside the house, right as it exploded."

He as looking at the scene in bewilderment when he heard the girl in his arms say, "Wow… thanks but can you put me down now?"

He yelped a bit when he realized he was still holding her and quickly put her down. not noticing the smirk, she had at the sound he made. "Uh yeah… sorry."

She shook her head in amusement before looking around, "Why are we in a desert?"

Wally gulped, "Uh, I think we should worry more about those guys?"

She turned to see who he was referring too and went pale. Military uniforms, assault rifles, a _tank?!_ She had been toying with the idea that this was another one of dad's "tests", but she didn't think even he could set something like this up.

A second later they were spotted, and they had to hide behind a couple of boulders to avoid gunfire. Grimacing, Artemis too a few shots with her bow, taking out several men at a time, with well-placed trick arrows, but Wally was more focused on the tank that was slowly turning towards him.

He sighed and turned to the girl, "Sorry again!"

The next thing she knew they were away from the cover, with her in the speedster's arms yet again. She gave him a slightly annoyed look, "How many times are you going to sweep me off my feet without permission?"

He simply blushed, not answering as the tank fired a second later on their previous position, exploding the boulders and definitely killing them if they were still there. The girl stared for a moment before patting his chest, "I stand corrected, good work." She then raised an eyebrow at his surprisingly firm but compact pectoral muscles.

He chuckled, "Yeah… I don't usually do that without even knowing a girl's name…"

She took the hint and smiled "I'm Artemis."

He smiled back, "Nice to meet you Artemis, I'm W— well actually you should stick to Kid Flash. Secret identities and all that you know?"

She raised an eyebrow before growing a mischievous look, "I don't think I'm real big on that name. How about I call you… Handsome?"

Wally had to fight to keep his eyes ahead as a blush blossomed on his cheeks, "T-that works too!"

Artemis laughed beautifully at him as they sped off into the desert.

 **Elsewhere**

Robin was confused. He didn't like it.

He's had some pretty weird experiences as batman's protégé, but so far waking up with six months' worth of memory loss in Bialya was not one of them.

He didn't actually know he was in Bialy until he saw Bialyan soldiers marching through the dunes, apparently hunting something. It was. Confused he checked his computer and found that he was in fact in the Bialyan desert. And also that it was six months since his last patrol.

It got weirder when he tried to radio batman. An image of his mentor telling him to do the opposite flashed through his mind, causing him think better of it.

Having nothing better to do, he settled on following the convoy through the desert, hoping to go he wasn't the one they were hunting. After a while, one of the soldiers spotted something in the distance and barked orders to his comrades, before opening fire. What Robin assumed was the "target" soon rushed into view, moving incredibly fast. All Robin could see was a black shine, before the first guy's head found itself detached from his body.

What followed after was a level of brutality that Robin had ever had the displeasure of witnessing, even in Gotham.

The figure was tearing through his opponents like a hot knife through butter, either punching opponents so hard limbs went flying, slicing through the with unidentified blades, or snapping various appendages, sometimes all the way off to use as a makeshift weapon against another opponent.

In a matter of seconds, the squad was decimated, all either dead, or so hurt they wished they were, and the figure was finally still enough to get a good look at.

He was younger than Robin expected. Too young to be butchering full grown men in such a manner. He was handsome too, with raven black hair, piercing sea green eyes, and an eerie smile, that sent shivers down the Boy wonder's spine.

His eyes were framed by a strange dark blue, three-pronged domino mask that he would normally assume to see from a Hero. He was wearing a strange suit consisting of a dark blue under suit covered by black high-tech armor plating that looked incredibly mobile for how much they covered. Something that didn't look all that heroic was the strange collar thing protruding around his neck. Eight stirps of fabric stuck up like spikes, adding a dash of sea green to the outfit, and having round metal disks in the middle of each one. it looked like something an evil overlord would wear. And of course, the large, razor sharp fins on his forearms added to the image as well. Robin suspected they had something to do with heavy bleeding his opponents were suffering.

The most alarming piece of equipment however was a familiar looing utility belt around his waist. It was colored black to match his armor. That was one of Batman's utility belts! Altered to suit him of course, with a strange winged sword symbol. Despite all of the brutality however, there was something about the outfit that seemed… aesthetically pleasing to Robin. Not that he would admit it.

Before Robin could decide what to do, the somewhat crazed looking man laughed hysterically and called out, "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO PERSES? YOU FUCKED UP BITCH! I AIN'T _EVER_ GOING BACK INTO THAT CELL!"

Robin wondered if Perses was some kind of codename for someone in the Bialyan government. Maybe this guy was an escaped test subject?

Robin really didn't want to approach the guy, after what happened to the soldiers. , but if this guy was actually a victim of some kind… well he was a hero after all.

He reluctantly made his way down the dune, making sure the guy saw him coming as he did so. He didn't think sneaking up on the guy would end well. He held his hands in the air as he approached, but the guy still tensed up as if expecting a fight.

When he was within regular speaking distance, the guy sneered, "Well this is a new one. I didn't think your kind ever knew when to give up."

Robin raised an eyebrow at that comment, but shrugged it off and waved, "Take it easy man. I'm not a threat. I just want to talk. My names Robin."

The man narrowed his eyes at him but didn't seem to actually _focus_ on the boy wonder. After a moment he muttered, "What _are_ you anyway?"

Once he was closer, Robin noticed something else. The guy was favoring his right leg, the pupil in his left eye wasn't responding to the sunlight, and his right arm was completely limp by his side. He didn't take out all those men _single-handedly_ did he?

Robin had to ask, "Is your arm okay? Do you need help?"

The response he got was not what he expected. The man growled at him, "Is that a joke? You think that's funny?"

Robin's eyes widened, "No! I… what?"

The strange took a threatening step forward, clenching left hand, "You're one of his aren't you? you think I'm dumb enough to fall or something so stupid?"

The hero started backing away, for the first time in a while, feeling intimidated by the fight ahead. "Dude I don't even know who _he_ is!"

The man simply smiled, "I'm through listening _monster_." Then with a sickening smile he said, "Prepare to die."

Robin threw down a flash pellet to distract him and got the hell out of there.

 **In yet another part of the desert**

Raven and M'gann have been Soaring over the desert looking for answers, for almost half an hour now, with nothing to show for it. Occasionally M'gann would question her impromptu partner about her magic, unable to restrain her curiosity. Sometimes Raven would answer, basic questions mostly, but sometimes she would simply ignore her until she got the point that what she was asking was off limits.

Now however they were both frustrated, and Raven could feel her wall breaking. "If only we could just _remember!"_

M'gann frowned, before speaking up, "I… I could try something. I don't know if it will work, but—"

"Try it!" Raven said, rather forcefully, and M'gann could feel an aura of darkness sweep over. Sweating slightly she nodded , "O-of course! Let me just…" SHE FLEW TO THE ground, with Raven trailing after.

She sat on the ground in a cross-legged position, taking a meditative pose, before closing her eyes. She focused her psychic powers inward . inspecting her vast memories, until she found the six month gap still missing. Steeling her resolve, she focused all her power into one action: remember

 _The team stood at attention in front of Batman. "A large energy signature has been detected in the Bialyan desert. Unfortunately Bialya has not been signed in to the UN_

 _S Justice League Charter, so any interaction from the league could cause an international incident. That's why you will infiltrate under the radar. You must maintain radio silence at all times." He looked at Supergirl, "You will not take part in this mission."_

 _The teen's eyes widened, "What? Why?"_

 _Before Batman could answer, Percy spoke up first, "Actually Kara I was thinking the same thing. It's nothing against you, promise, but for something this important, we need to be sure no mistakes will be made. That means sending in the ones with the most experience."_

 _Kara grumbled to herself for a bit before sighing, "Okay…"_

 _M'gann smiled sweetly at her, "Maybe you could help Tyson with his prototype! I'm sure you'd make it easier for him, and afterwards I'm sure he'll help you with you suit design if you want."_

 _Kara lit up a bit at that as Batman moved on, "You will investigate the signal. Once you determine the cause, it will be up to you to decide how to go from there. I'm trusting you with the final say here Percy. I trust that you won't let me down."_

 _The team leader nodded, "You can count on me. Also, what prototype?"_

 _He looked this team curiously, narrowing his eyes as they just laughed nervously._

She felt her head spin as she burst the mental lock on her memories. Once she had a moment to sort through it her eyes opened, "We're on a team!"

Raven looked at her with her usual face, while also managing to convey just how little she believed her, "Really?"

"it's true! You, me, Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis, Aqualad… Aqualad! He's Atlantean!"

Raven got the idea, "He probably isn't having a good time. Should we focus on finding him then?"

M'gann frowned as she sifted through more memories. Her face turned to one of horror, "Superboy… he had no memories sixth months ago! All he has now is animal instinct!"

Raven raised an eyebrow, "So we focus on him?"

Then M'gann's eyes widened impossibly wide and she bent over to throw up."

Raven, unsure of what to do, awkwardly pat her on the back, but M'gann was finished sooner than she anticipated and snapped upright, declaring, "We need to find Perseus!"

Raven, not recognizing the name, sighed in disbelief, "Oh? And why is his predicament more important than the other two?" She then noticed her skin turning a bit pink and clamped down on her emotions, luckily M'gann didn't seem to notice, as her eyes were filling with tears as she said, "He spent years in… in a hell, being tortured every day… in his mental timeline, sixth months ago would have him still there!"

Raven felt her irritation make way for worry, "Oh… okay maybe that takes precedence… can you put his memories back?"

M'gann nodded as she stood up, "I can, I can do it for you too, if you just let e enter your mind—"

"No!" Raven stated, causing the Martian to step back," Uh… sorry but my mind isn't a nice place. Can you just tell me how to do what you did? I actually have a bit of psychic power myself?"

M'gann frowned, not remembering Raven ever mentioning that before, but nodded reluctantly, "I can try..."

She then went on to try to explain the process, trying her best to translate the Martian words for it into English, though she wasn't sure if she was doing it well. Apparently, it was enough however, because even though she took three times as long, she managed to do the same as M'gann, her eyes growing wide before narrowing with determination.

As they were about to go find the others however, she looked at M'gann, "Uh… about the psychic thing…"

M'gann was frowning, but shrugged, "It's okay Raven, I… I remember how secretive you are."

Even though they were meant to soothe, they couldn't help but sting.

 **With Wally**

Kid Flash was really considering changing his name after this. He a kid physically, but kids shouldn't have to see things like this.

He had set Artemis down to take a break after the were far enough away from the soldiers, when she had walked to the top of a dune and screamed.

He was by her side in a second and proceeded to dry heave next to her. In front of them was a massacre site, consisting of a squadron of Bialyan soldiers, or what's left of them. Some were dismembered, others were disemboweled, almost all of them were dead or wishing they were.

"What could do this?" Artemis asked in disbelief."

"More like who."

The pair jumped as they heard a young voice behind them but calmed down when they saw who it was. "Rob!" Wally exclaimed.

"KF," Robin acknowledged grimly, "Nice to see a friendly face" He turned to Artemis, "And you are…"

Before she could respond Wally answered, "She's cool man, she's in the same boat as us…well me, you having memory loss problems too?"

Robin nodded, "Sixth months. It's September by the way."

Wally's jaw dropped at that, but he shook it off and got to the matter at hand, "Do you know what did this? Think it's connected to the amnesia?"

Robin sighed, "I know who did it, but I don't know if he could have pulled the memory trick. He's definitely a meta though, and definitely unhinged. He keeps calling his enemies monsters and yelling at some guy called Perses."

Wally was about to ask what that meant, Artemis spoke up, "That's from Greek mythology, Perses is the Titan of Destruction." After some raised eyebrows she rolled an eyebrow, "What? my names _Artemis,_ I was bound to get obsessed with it at some point."

Robin activated his gauntlets computer and looked it up, "She's right, damn, I need a refresher on this stuff. And come to think of it, he had a strange symbol on his belt, a sword with wings, the shape of the sword was distinctly Greek style, that and the fins…"

"Fins?" Wally asked, "Are we dealing with one of Aquaman's rogues here?"

Robin frowned, "I've never heard of him, and he was young, like 17 maybe. But definitely a meta, his speed and reflexes were ridiculous, I don't think I would stand a chance in a fight. Wally, you know I hate to ask you to try and fight a superpowered psycho-murdered but-"

Wally sighed, "I don't know man, I'm running on fumes, "He checked his cupboard, "And I don't have any fuel, looks like we've been out here for over 24 hours. Maybe if we attacked together."

Silently they all looked at the entire squadron of trained military and decided it wouldn't do much good."

"I haven't even told you the worst part." Robin exclaimed, "He had a utility belt, you know, like mine."

Wally's eyes widened while Artemis didn't see the significance, "How much like yours?"

"Well aside from some cosmetic. Changes I would say he ripped it straight out of the Batcave."

Wally gulped.

Artemis decided she had enough of story time, "Okay, so do you mind telling us with the super dangerous super powered killer is _now?_ "

Before Robin could answer, the sound of an angry scream and gunshots were heard and the trio wordlessly ran in its direction to see the source.

After a few minutes they were crouched on top of a doom to see a young shirtless man screaming savagely as his arms were tied to ropes, which were pulled by an entire squadron for each arm.

"Definitely a meta," Wally murmured."

"That's not him." Robin stated.

"What?" Artemis asked, "Then where—"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

A black blur shot into the fray, quickly slicing through the ropes holding the crazed teen, before stopping next to him, apparently checking on him. Wally noted that hi seemed injured, only one hand was moving, before Robin stated, "That's…. him?"

The boy seemed to be mummering comforting words to the shirtless guy, and it seemed to by working, until the soldiers fired a few shots, which bounced off shirtless' skin and crazy's armor. It still pissed them off though. They split up and took a squadron each.

The heroes couldn't help but wince at the treatment shirtless' squad got, but by the looks of it, most of them would walk away with a few broken bones and concussions. Crazy's squad on the other hand… well they wouldn't be walking anywhere.

Wally couldn't stand by and watch as men, innocent or not, were slaughtered mercilessly. Ignoring Robin yelling at him to not to, he sped forward, pushing himself to his limits as he raced to save the last man, who was about to have a fist pushed through his face.

He managed to speed him out of there before the first came down], before collapsing next to the guy in the sand. The soldier seemed to have already passed out.

Wally was struggling to catch his breath, when a shadow fell over him. He gulped as he stared up at the killer teen, but to his relief, he looked more… curious than murderous at the moment. "Well today is just full of surprises. I thought it was every monster for himself. What are you? are you like the one from before?"

Wally decided he should start talking before guy got bored, "I-I'm not a monster! I'm a hero! What you're doing is wrong! Whatever they did to you it doesn't warrant slaughtering them!"

What happened next send shivers down the speedster's spine. He started laughing, not a regular laugh mind you, this was a laugh that could only come from mental instability, it reminded wally way too much of the joker. Before the kid stopped, "You have _got_ to be new here. New breed maybe? Do monsters even fuck? Oh well, if you are a new breed, I think I'll put a stop to you before you cause trouble for the others." He raised his fist.

Before Wally could beg for his life however, the guy stumbled back as an arrow hit his face, exploding into green gas. He stumbled and coughed, waving his hand to blow away the gas as Artemis and robin rushed to Wally's side, helping him up."

Wally kept his eye on the disgruntled teens they helped him walk away but received a reassuring pat on the chest from Artemis, "Don't worry, that one was labeled "Heavy Duty Knockout Gas" I think It might do the trick."

Robin scoffed, "No offense but it's important to me that you know this: in hero work, you should never stop worrying."

As if to prove his point, as the knockout gas dissipated, the guy was still standing, only looking a little woozy, and a lot pissed. The trio was worried he was about to attack again, that was a mistake, they forgot about the other crazy teen there.

Robin saw him coming first, and started moving, but Wally caught on soon after. Again he had to muster energy out of nowhere to tackle Artemis and push Robin out of the way so the shirtless guy didn't land on them as he cratered the ground where they stood.

Artemis growled, "Seriously! What is your problem with us?" she had turned to yell at the two aggressors, but afterwards realized that the shirtless one was stopped as the crazy one put a hand on his shoulder. He was staring at Artemis with gut wrenching hatred. Artemis gulped as he said, "This one is mine."

He advanced towards her, "Do you really think that's going to work? She's dead Perses. You can't fool me again."

Artemis' eyes widened, and she drew her bow as she backed away, "don't come any closer." He didn't listen. She started losing arrows, but all were either caught in his hand or smacked way by the back of his hand.

He seemed to tower over her as he came closer, you will regret trying that again. He raised his arm to backhand her and she felt herself fall back as she backed into a dune.

His arm swung, she closed her eyes, but nothing happened.

To her that is.

Wally, being the heroic idiot, he always strived to be, had jumped in front of her, his arms raised to block the strike. The only problem was, the large, razor sharp fin attached to the hand.

Though no one noticed, the crazed teen had a flicker of confusion on his face as his backhand somehow sliced both of the speedsters hands off.

Wally, fortunately, didn't feel it at the time, falling into the blessed throughs of shock, but Artemis had a front row seat, and felt her own heart clench painfully as they boy who had saved her three times before this lost his hands on the fourth.

Before he or she could react, Robin flew in, flash pellet already hitting the ground as he kicked Artemis into gear., literally, and scooped up Wally's hand while she grabbed the frozen wally. Robin threw down several smoke pellets just in case as they made their escape. It was as sound tactic that should have worked.

It didn't work.

"where DO YOU THINK YOU''RE GOING?"

The teen leaped out the smoke, followed shortly by the shirtless one, and for a moment, it looked like there would be no stopping them from landing fatal blows, when fate decided to take pity on them.

Well in this case, fate's name was M'gann, as she got in-between them at the last second, blocking the two aggressors' attacks with a wall of psychic power, before her eyes began to glow as she shouted, "STOP!"

When everyone regained their senses, they were no longer in a desert. Instead they were in a dark… room? field? Domain? It was hard to explain. Surrounding them was a spiderweb of memories, visons of past event, some that they didn't recognized.

Wally was not concerned with that however. He, like everyone else there, was staring at the crazy guy, or what was left of him.

The raven-haired teen still looked as crazed as ever, but now it seemed he had a reason. His entire right arm was missing. ,, nothing but a bleeding stump remained at his shoulder. His left eye was gone as well. His right leg had a massive hole in his thigh. As if someone had drilled right through. to add to that as a thousand cuts and bruises covering his, now naked, body.

Everyone else were exactly as they were before, Wally, Robin, Artemis, even the shirtless guy. The weirdest part was that Crazy looked like he was simply ignoring his wounds. As if they didn't exist.

With a flash of green light, the Green girl who had stopped them before had arrived, with a grim look on her face.

"What did you do to me! Where in Tartarus is this?" Crazy shouted, already advancing on the newcomer, only to hit an invisible wall in front of her, while the girl just looked at him, nothing but sorrow on her face.

She pulled herself together however and spoke confidently, "I know that this isn't easy to believe but, you are not enemies. None of you. We are all a team!"

There was a moment of silence before robin spoke up, "Uhhh… I don't know if you noticed, but I'm a hero, I wouldn't team up with a murderer like stabby here." He gestured to Crazy."

"His name is Percy," M'gann snapped, "And he's a hero too, a great one."

Percy sneered, "Once maybe, but, and you know what heroes do to monsters like you! so I suggest you get out of my way!"

M'gann lowered her head, "Percy… I'm so sorry… but you aren't there anymore. You aren't in Tartarus."

He blinked at her. winked? Whatever. Are you fucking stupid?"

M'gann wined, "Listen—"

"No, you listen! Who the hell do you think you are! You say I'm not in Tartarus, then why does the air burn my lung? why does the ground stab my feet as I walk? Why does the heat blister my skin?"

It's all in your mind Percy

!' M'gann shouted back, you aren't there, you just think you are, it's your mind unable to process the memory gap. Let me help you. I can unlock your memories if you let me into your mind. All of you."

That got some uncomfortable looks, "You want to poke around inside our heads?" Artemis asked , while keeping an eye on Percy and the shirtless guy. M'gann noticed this.

"That's Superboy, and yes. It's the only way. Superboy is a clone that was grown in sixteen weeks a couple months ago, sixth months ago he didn't exist. The only reason he's acting that way is because he has nothing but primal instinct driving him."

"Yeah? What's Percy's excuse?" Robin asked.

M'gann narrowed her eyes, "Look at him! What do you think? He's been tortured for over a hundred years by now!"

Robin didn't have come back to that, but Percy had something to say, "139… you really believe that this is fake?"

"I know it is." M'gann stated firmly.

He seemed to think about it for am moment before sighing. "Fine. If whatever you want to do can get me out of this… go right ahead."

"Seriously?" Artemis exclaimed, "One minute you're prepared to kill everyone in sight now your fine with this? And what makes the shirtless wonder so specially anyway?"

Superboy snarled, though he had no idea what she said, while Percy eyed her with disdain, "Not all monsters are bad."

Robin threw his hands in the air, "What!? I told you that we were good guys, monsters or not!"

Percy glared at him, "You can talk, which means you can lie. I don't' know what he looks like to you, but to me he looks like a newborn Cyclops."

"Aren't Cyclopes bad though?" Wally asked curiously."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Some. Others are peaceful, some even friendly."

"Like Tyson." M'gann spoke up, causing Percy to freeze, and turn to her his one eye filled with suspicion and fear. "How do you know about him?"

The Martian gulped, but steeled herself. "He's part of our team as well. He's waiting for you back home."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Home? I lived in New York with my Mom. I doubt you moved in, there's no room."

M'gann tried to find something to say to that but ended up with, "It'll make sense when I 'show you. do I have everyone's permission?"

Robin and wally nodded, as did Percy. Artemis frowned before saying, "Just make sure you don't poke around anywhere else."

M'gann nodded, "I will respect everyone's privacy, I swear on the Styx" Thunder seemed to rumble in the far-off distance. While this phrase didn't mean much to the others, Percy found great comfort in this. as was her intention.

With a deep breath M'gann reached out to each other their minds at once and began to unlock their memories. It took a few minutes, with them wincing some stronger memories flashed through their minds, before finally it was done.

For most it was a bit of a relief, as they looked at each other with familiarity instead of awkward unease, but Percy was an entirely different matter. He had long since fallen to his knees as the memories flooded in, and now he simply sat here, numbly, as he struggled to process the information he had received.

The only fortunate thing was that his mangled image had reverted to the outfit he was wearing outside, but M'gann was still concerned. She was about to step forward to comfort him, when he noticed something on his arms. "My fins…. That last attack... "

He jumped up and looked at wally, "Dude are you okay?

Wally looked at him in confusion, "Yeah? Why?

"That last attack, I didn't know about my fin blades, you could have bee hurt pretty badly!"

At this, Artemis, and Robin stiffened while M'gann looked like she was trying hard not to. Wally on the other hand was confused, "I'm fine man, I don't remember feeling any…"

realized he did feel a sharp pain at one point, followed immediately by nothing at all. "Guys…. Why can't I remember what happened?"

Robin sighed, "Wally… I'm sorry man, that strike took both of your hands off."

Artemis practically hissed at Robin's bluntness, but he didn't car, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it for him this is serious! Which is why we need to get out of here and get him treatment!"

"We're in the middle of the desert, where are we gonna find someone to reattach is arms?" Superboy asked, crassly, but honestly.

"We'll contact the League!"

"Batman ordered complete radio silence." Robin stated solemnly.

Artemis glared at him "Really? You are going to suck up to him at a time like this? Wally is your friend!"

Robin narrowed her eyes, "I would disobey him in a heartbeat if I could, but there was a reason he gave the order. If Bialya finds out the League sent us in it could turn into an international incident. I hate myself for saying this but… all the deaths that could cause are more important than Wally's arms."

Artemis didn't seem to agree and looked ready to beat the shit of out the younger teen, but M'gann stopped her by stating firmly "Raven is out there right now treating him. I'll reach out to her right now and see what the situation is."

After a moment of concentration, the hooded magic user appeared in the middle of the group, looking as solemn as she usually does.

"Well?" Artemis asked expectantly.

Raven ignored her, looking only at Wally, who had been staring at his hands this whole time, not making much noise, "I'm sorry Wally… I tried every healing spell I know, but I don't know any advanced enough to reattach your hands. The intricacy of the veins and arteries connecting requires practice that I don't have. I'm sorry."

Everyone was silent after that, as they tried to process what that meant. Wally felt his usually fast thought process move at a snail's pace as he considered this, "You mean… I won't have my hands when I wake up?"

"What if we froze them?" Percy asked, surprisingly calm, "I'd bet anything that Robin has an ice bomb o something in his belt, if we—"

"That won't work." Robin snapped, before wincing and. Giving Wally an apologetic look," The cold would cause lasting damage before we reached a doctor who could reattach the limb."

"I've managed to seal the wounds and make sure you won't feel any pain when you wake up," raven added, "But it still won't be easy… I should go out again, it's not wise for all of us to be unconscious at once. M'gann?"

The Martian nodded and waved her hand, causing the girl to disappear. The strange realm now held a new kind of darkness, one emanating from everyone involved. Robin gulped and said, "Maybe we can figure something out when we get. Back. When we wake up we'll head straight to the ship, Zatara might be willing to help, if we hurry—"

"What about the mission?" Wally spoke up, interrupting the Boy wonder and causing him to recoil with surprise.

"I don't think that's the priority right now!" Artemis exclaimed in disbelief."

"No, he's right." Percy spoke up, before acknowledging the glare he earned form Artemis, "This is my fault, I know, and I. Intend to make up for it."

M'gann sighed, "Percy you didn't—"

"That doesn't matter!" He snapped, before turning to wally, "But Wally is right. A mission this important has to go on, even if someone gets injured along the way. And we know it's important, or else there wouldn't be tanks and soldiers after us… I'm assuming that's what those were. I thought it was odd that the Giant Crab monster had a cannon on its back."

"So, we just continue on?" Artemis asked, "What about Wally? He can't—"

"I'll be fine." Wally stated, "I only need my feet to use my powers I'll just have to focus on evading and distracting more than attacking." He looked up at Artemis with a pleading look in his eye, "I'm not helpless." He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself it was true.

Artemis softened immediately and went to the speedster, resting a hand on his shoulder, "Right, sorry I didn't mean..."

After another moment of silence, M'gann drew a shaky breath and sad, "We should wake up then. Wally, I'll let you stay here until you're ready, but raven will need backup if we get attacked."

Wally nodded in understanding, as she began to send the others away, but just before she sent away Artemis, he called out , "Wait!"

M'gann complied, leaving her and Artemis with him alone. Artemis looked at him with concern, "Wally?"

He took a deep breath to speak, before letting out as he lost his nerve. Then he said, "I don't know what's going on outside, but right here right now, I still have my hands, I can feel things with them and…"

Artemis stared attentively at him, "Yeah?"

He swallowed, before speaking again, though unable to meet her eyes, "I might never get another chance, so… I just have to ask… could I... could we hold…"

He mentally kicked himself as soon as the words left his mouth. So much for being voted the flirtiest male superhero in the tabloids, right now he couldn't even say three words without losing his voice. "I mean-ugh… never mind, I'm just being—"

BEFORE HE could continue he felt a pair of smaller, softer hands grab his, for a moment he was lost in the warmth before remembered to look up at their owner, who was staring at him with tears in her eyes, "It's not stupid wally, I understand! I promise, whatever you need, just ask."

He felt relief flood through him, and for a moment tried to muster his old self, chuckling awkwardly as he grasped her hands a little tighter, as if holding on to his very lifeline, "Hehe… anything?"

He made sure to add as much joking tone as he could into it so she didn't pull away. The eyeroll he expected, what he didn't expect her to match his grip and move closer, moving their hands down to their sides so she could lean in beside his hear and whisper, "Within reason… handsome."

Wally's eyes had never grown so wide in life.

It took a few minutes before Wally was ready to come out. That left lots of time for the others to stare at his body in horror. Both hands were sliced off halfway down his forearms. Due to Raven's assistance, both had been sealed up, his skin stretched over the stumps, but it was still raw, wrinkled, and unpleasant.

When Wally finally woke with a start, his eyes were instantly drawn to his stumps, causing him to make a strangled noise in the back of his throat, before taking a deep breath to calm down. he then sneered at the state of is uniform, which was covered in his own blood. "Gross…. hey Percy, could you...?"

Percy was immediately at attention, and wasn't sure what he meant until it hit h . just before they left for Bialya, he had discovered a new power: water generation. Well technically he was condensing the water molecules in the air, but it had the same effect. He nodded firmly and held out a hand, concentrating. After a moment, a sizable spew of water seemed to come from it, though hit was only a focal point for him to condense the water. He used the spout and sent it all over Wally's suit , cleaning it completely of blood before sending the dirtied water into the sand.

"Thanks." Wally nodded, "that could be really useful for…"

Everyone suddenly realized, "Aqualad!"

"Where is he!" Percy asked, turning to Robin, "He won't last much longer out here without water."

Robin was already tracking his teammates comms, sighing in relief when he got his location "Hs not far, but he's not moving, he's probably passed out form the heat by now."

Percy nodded "Alright, Wally, Robin and I will go get Kaldur, I should be able to revitalize him, then I'll get him back to the ship, while the rest of you investigate the energy signature. M'gann, I remember you had it in your sights, what was it?"

M'gann frowned, "It was some kind of spherical machine, with a consciousness of some kind. They had it captured, they were experimenting on it, and it was in pain."

Percy nodded, "Then your mission is to free it and bring it to the ship. What erased our memories."

"There was another telepath there, he sensed me… I won't be able to sneak in again"

"Can you prevent him from doing what he did again?"

M'gann looked thoughtful, before glancing at raven, who simply nodded, "I think so. It will definitely be easier if I see it coming.

Percy nodded and they all went their separate ways.

After a couple minutes of the three teens walking though the desert. Percy spoke up, "I think we should address the elephant in the desert."

Robin seemed uncomfortable, "is now really the time?"

Wally sighed, as he walked with his arms crossed against his chest, not sure what else to do with them. "Percy, you don't have to—"

"No, I do. What happened to you was my fault. I hurt you, permanently. We can't just not address—"

"Why not?" Wally aske, slightly irritated. "You've gone through far worse, you've had your arms cut off several times over, and you don't complain."

Percy kept calm, but the others could hear the tension in his voice as he explained, "I've had my limbs cut off thousands of times. I got used to it. I had to, to stay sane. However, the first hundred fucked with my head every time. It was wrong, and scary, and sickening. And just because worse things have happened to me, doesn't mean that your pain is any less important."

Wally was thoughtful about his, while Robin just led silently, keeping his eye on his computer.

"So, what?" Wally asked, "Are you asking for forgiveness? Because you have it man, I mean I can't really blame you in the first place—"

"You can." Percy stated, "But I appreciate that. I guess I just want you to know, if you ever need someone to talk to, or anything for that matter, I'm not sure I' not the one for talking, but anything at all, just ask me. okay?"

Wally looked at him for a moment before saying, "I think… I need…"

Percy looked over at him, to see what was happening, and instantly jumped into action to catch Wally from falling to the ground. Robin was by his side in the next instant.

"Di immortales!" Percy cursed, "He's weak from blood loss."

"And overall exhaustion." Robin commented, "We've been out her a long time, he hasn't had many chances to eat, and you know how his powers work. Come to think of it I'm amazed he had enough energy to defend against…. well "

Percy sighed, "Don't dance around the subject Robin, that doesn't' make it any less awkward."

"Right."

Percy willed his tentacles to emerge and used them to grab wally and put him in their clutches, kind of like a makeshift bed that he could lay in as Percy dragged him behind.

With that they continued on to Kaldur's position

M'gann's POV 

This is bad. Everything awful, and M'gann knew it was all her fault!

She was the only psychic on the team (or so she had thought), so she should have been on the lookout for such an attack!

That was what was stirring around in her brain as she led the others to the research tent. The other was of the girl flying beside her. she had always known Raven was a mysterious person, with lots of secrets, the end, she was much needed company in a home full of guys. There are some things only girls can understand.

Now though, as she looked at her, She couldn't help but be a bit suspicious. She had kept such an important ability as psychic powers a secret from everyone. What else could she have up her sleeve?

However, she wasn't the only troubled girl in group. Artemis floated on M'gann's other side , held up by her telekinesis, a look of confused contemplation on her face. I knew what it was too: her relationship with Wally. They ha d gone through some rough patches, mostly with wally being wally, but overall, they were on fairly good terms. Then they woke up in a room with no memories of each other. That might seem like a reset button to some, but M'gann knew better. Even without the actual memories, people leave lasting impressions on each other. When the memory was taken away, it left an indentation of that person, and when it was filled, it brought feelings of familiarity that one wouldn't have with a stranger.

That might be why they were so… familiar, in such a short period of time. And now that the memories were back, they were both confused. Luckily or unluckily, neither were having deal with that at the moment, Wally had his injuries, and Artemis…. Well… her guilt over the injuries...

M'gann didn't have to read her mind to figure that out. Wally had lost his hands taking a strike meant for her, and if put in her situation, SHE would probably feel something similar.

Due to all of that, the trio of girls soared through the desert in silence, only speaking up when they sighted the tent, surrounded with military security.

"I infiltrated last time using my camouflage," M'gann spoke up, "But that won't work for all of us. This is a rescue mission so…"

"Go in loud?" Artemis finished, "Perfect, I have some aggression to work out."

Raven hummed, "The psychic will likely be our biggest issue. Confronting him will likely require intense mental concentration, rending her body useless. If we clear out most of the guards beforehand, it will make it easier to get in, while I protect her body."

M'gann had several things to say about that plan, not much of them nice, but she settled with, "You want her to distract the whole camp by herself? Without backup?"

"I'll be okay." Artemis stated, "I'm not going to start fighting everyone in sight. I'll probably use some well l placed flash arrows to draw them out, while sticking to the shadows. Then I'll take them out silently. Trust me," she looked at me with a dangerous glint in their eye, "It's going to be fun."

The Martian sighed, still not happy, but nodded reluctantly, "Just… call us if things don't go to plan."

She nodded and took off towards the camp, keeping low to avoid detection. As M'gann waited with Raven for her distraction, she couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever been in a psychic battle before?"

She shrugged, "No. You?"

M'gann winced, "Only spars, this will be different. If we lose we will risk our minds being destroyed, resulting in a catatonic state, the key is to focus your force of will, never waver, and of course, be creative with your attacks."

"I'll keep that in mind… M'gann, I'm sorry I didn't—"

"Now is not the time." M'gann stated calmly, though she really wanted to get into it at the time, "We need to be focused. But we will discuss it back home… privately."

Raven nodded to her, just as a loud explosion went off somewhere in the camp. Soon the guards were running from every direction, including from the research tent."

"There's our cue." M'gann stated, flying forward in camouflage mode, while raven kept to the shadows in her hood, expertly avoiding enemy contact as they made their way to the tent.

As expected, the enemy was nowhere to be seen when they entered, only a few startled scientist who looked ready to call for security, only to be knocked out by some well-placed shadow blasts and telekinetic strikes.

Once they were all down, an incredibly smug voice sounded in their heads, " _You've returned, and with friends no less. Why, you must be a glutton for punishment"_

In an instant, a tall hooded man stepped out from behind some equipment. He threw back his hood to reveal. Pale man with a translucent head, revealing his brain.

"Second time's the charm I guess." He smirked, "Psimon says… FORGET!"

Just before the psychic attack hit, M'gann grabbed Raven's hand, before their consciousness were drawn into her mind.

They awoke floating in the air above a lush green landscape. A moment later, Psimon's head appeared several times larger than it should be have been, "You resisted, very good. It's been a while since I had multiple opponents, but I can tell what I lack in numbers I more than make up for in experience. Now, let's begin, shall we?" e

Before the two could answer, he started unleashing what appeared to be white energy attacks. They quickly separated in different directions, dodging their attacks and returning their own

M'gann's attacks were significantly stronger than Raven's from the start, while Raven's were much darker, not like her shadow magic, but more of an indigo, while M'gann's were pale green.

Unfortunately, neither of them were making much progress form the star, which Psimon noticed, "Why look at you two! So much confidence with nothing to show for it. Though you are interesting, so different yet so similar at the same time. Shall I tell you why you're losing?"

Raven remained silent in her attacks, but M'gann as was getting irritated, "We haven't lost yet!"

Psimon chuckled, "Well of course you have! Not to me yet, but to yourselves! I may not know what it is yet, you still insist on blocking me form your minds, but I can get impressions. Both of you are hiding who you really are from everyone. So, who are you really? Liars? Cheats? Or something worse… OH! I have an idea!"

The next moment, the giants head emitted a powerful wave of energy all around it, leaving no room to dodge. The moment It touched the girls, their worlds faded away.

When M'gann awoke, she was back on mars, somehow walking without thinking about it, through the streets of her village. She was going to get ingredients from the market. She covered herself with a large hood, so that she appeared only to be an adult green Martian, not some freakishly tall white Martian child.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. She felt something shove her from behind and turned to see a group of green martians her age, mostly males. They started shoving her around, laughing and taunting her like always, calling her a freak, a monster. It would have been easy for her to shove them away, despite being the same age she was already twice their size, but if she did the would just run home and tell their parent, which would cause trouble for mother and father.

So, she just stood still, and tried to appear as small land harmless as possible, which only made them push harder until she was lying on the ground, dripping both blood and tears.

For a long while she wanted to just lay there, wait for them to leaves so she could finally go home, when she heard something. Faint screaming, very faint.

For a moment she wondered if someone was getting the same treatment as she elsewhere, when she started feel that the scream was somehow familiar. Where did she know that voice?

 _Raven_

She sat up in an instant, throwing her aggressors off with ease and forming back into her usual human like appearance. She remembered what was happening.

She mustered up her psychic energy and blasted it straight towards the scream. In an instant it was if a hole had been torn through reality, when in fact she had ripped hole through memories. Where she stepped into next however, made her want to run back to the bullies.

The cavern sky, the toxic air, the ground meant to piece her feet, this memory should only belong to one person. Why did Raven have it?

Then she heard the scream again, a pain filled wail. She flew towards it, over the hell scape she thought was Tartarus, until she found the source.

A clearing, or at least a section of the ground that was smoothed out not to stab people's feet, held a terrifying sight. A demon, there was no other word that came to mind. Standing taller than even Tyson could, rippling muscles were covered in thick crimson hide. His face seemed to be stuck in a permanent snarl, underneath four glowing yellow eyes. His air was long and white, with a pair of enormous black horns stuck out of the sides of his head.

He only wore a simple loin cloth around his waist, showing off the resto f his physique with pride as he stared down at Raven. There she was, screaming in pain on the ground beneath her as an arc of red energy flew from his eyes and met her body. but she too was… different.

Her skin was red, not as bright as his, but red all the same. She too had four glowing eyes, though hers glowed bright red. She wore her signature cloak, but underneath M'gann noted a significant increase in musculature with her more demonic from.

Despite that she was completely helpless, flailing miserably under the demon's attack. As he did so he bellowed down, "YOU WILL COOPERATE!"

She opened her eyes and glared at him, screaming in pain and defiance, "NO!"

With an angry grunt he stopped the attack, "Perhaps some time with your siblings will change your mind. Wrath! Envy!"

A pair of much smaller male demons appeared at h his call, snickering at the fallen girl as he ordered, "Do not let her get comfortable but, do not break her."

"We'll try." Wrath chuckled.

As the larger demon walked away he state, "You cannot resist forever… daughter."

M'gann decided she had seen enough and rushed in blasting the large demon first with a mental attack, dissipating him instantly, before doing the same to the smaller ones. She then landed in front of Raven, ignoring the smoldering heat of the ground as she tended to her exhausted and apparently demonic friend. Come on Raven, it's not real snap out of it."

Raven began to sob, which somehow scared M'gann more than the demons, "It is real! Look at me! look at what I am! I'm disgusting!"

M'gann grimaced before taking a deep breath and shifting back to her true form. One she had she told her friend, "Look at me."

Raven complied, and all four of her eyes widened at the sight before her, "It's me Raven. This is what I truly look like. I'm a White Martian. We are treated as freaks even on mars, so I hid. But I'm not a freak! And neither are you! I don't know what all of this means, but you are still my friend, okay?"

Raven continued to stare at her, until suddenly something clicked. Her sobbing face turned calm and collected, and the world around them disappeared, revealing the original battlefield, with Psimon, now down to their size with a body, laughed down at them, "Well, this is unexpected. I must say I understand though! If I were as ugly as you two I would hide too!"

M'gann bit back a remark about his brain and instead called out, "You've lost Psimon!"

He chuckled a bit more before humoring her, "Oh and how is that?"

"Because now that I don't have to focus on my appearance," Raven started, powering up her dark energy in her red hands

"we can focus all our energy into doing this." M'gann finished.

Together they readied their attacks, shouting, "Get out… of our… HEADS!"

Together they fired their attack, purple energy mixing with lime green as they struck Psimon's head before he could react. He screamed in agony as his body seemed to crack and break, before finally he exploded.

In an instant the three were back in the real world, with a now unconscious Psimon laying on the ground, and raven and M'gann catching their breath.

It was only when they looked at each other that they realized they were still in their true forms. For a moment they just stayed like that, staring at each other, before they grimaced and returned to their human forms.

"We should talk about this..." Raven stated uncertainly.

M'gann nodded, "We should… later."

"Later." let's check on that sphere.

They walked over to the strange whirring device, and found it making excited noises as they approached. Raven looked at M'gann, who nodded before they began dismantling its restraints, allowing it to run free. However, it only rolled around in excitements a few times before stopping before them expectantly.

M'gann couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "It's kind of… cute."

Rave nodded, before saying "Right now we should probably check on Artemis."

They exited the tent to see that Artemis was in fact fine, if a little tired. She was hunched over, panting heavily as the unconscious bodies of everyone in the camp surrounded her.

The two could only stare at her in awe before she said, "I think I'm feeling a bit better.

Then she collapsed.

 **Later, in the bio ship.**

The flight back was mostly quiet. Kaldur and Wally were both laid out on beds M'gann summoned from the floor of the ship. Kaldur was surrounded in a shroud of Water, courtesy of Percy, and was mostly conscious.

Wally on the other hand was sleeping blissfully. His arms were now covered in arm slings, keeping them crossed over his chest so he didn't hurt them on accident. Artemis was sat by his side, sometimes staring at his sleeping face, sometimes unable to look at him at all.

The others were in their usual seats, with Percy near the front, looking out the window, keeping an eye on het seas horizon both to keep his stomach form churning, and to keep his mind off of all that occurred.

The new sphere thing was hanging beneath their ship on a tether, whirring happily as it flew through the air.

Once they had flown out of Bialyan air space, Robin radioed batman.

"Glad to see you all made it out." The gruff voice announced, "What did you find?"

No one wanted to explain all that happened, bur Percy did it anyways. "Some sentient mechanical sphere thing. We're bring it back. That's not important though, the enemy had a psychic, he erased all of our memories for six months."

The teammates could practically hear Batman grimacing, "… I can imagine that was quite a problem for many of you."

"I'm fine, Superboy seems alright, but I… lost control. I thought I was back, I couldn't see anything but monsters… I killed a lot of soldiers. when Artemis showed up I was going to kill her too, but Wally stopped me. he lost both hands in the process."

Batman immediately went to work, "Use clean cloth to stop the bleeding, do not remove it if it bleeds through just add more. You will need a clean damp cloth, do not use water or ice, that will only cause damage. I assume—"

"It's too late Batman," Percy stopped him, "We were stranded in the middle of the desert when it happened…. There's no saving them. We saved the hands but…"

"… I see. In that case, just get back here as soon as possible. We'll deal with it then."

"Got it." Percy replied dryly.

"This wasn't your fault Percy."

"Yeah… I know."

When the ship was flying towards the hanger at mount justice, the team was startled as a brown and red blur burst a cross their vision, laughing joyfully as hit did so.

It was followed soon after by Kara, who was flying after him in her makeshift uniform. She stopped in front of the ship with a smile "Sorry! H's still getting the hang of slowing… down…" She trailed off as she saw he scene inside, "Oh Rao…. I-I'll go get him.

Wally WAS immediately taken away by the flash when they got home, not before the Leaguer shot an icy glare at Percy, one he simply met with acceptance.

Tyson flew in soon after, in a bit of a crash landing, but still eager to show off his new wingsuit, which Percy wanted to admire with all his heart, but now was not the time. As soon as he heard what happened to Wally, tears were already pouring out. Fortunately, he didn't bawl as he usually does, he managed to restrain himself a little bit, but it only got worse when he was denied access to his injured friend.

The days following were brutal for everyone. Trips to Black Canary that everyone knew wouldn't change anything., trips to see Wally that always ended in tears.

The worst one, in Raven's opinion, was when she was walking through the mountain, and heard something strange coming from Percy and Tyson's room.

it was midday, when Tyson is usually downstairs, and Percy is usually on patrol, though he had skipped the day before.

The noise she heard was a rhythmic thumping. Normally when one hears thumping coming from a teenage boy's room, you stay out, but Raven didn't think Percy would be one to do ah. Especially now. Unable to stop herself, she cracked the door open as quietly as possible, and peaked in.

Liquid gold splattered on the floor wand walls. For a moment fear flew though Raven's chest that Percy had taken the easy way out, but as usually, nothing was easy about what Percy was doing.

He stood in front of the wall, punching a rater into it one fist at a time, every hit elicited a slight cry of pain and anger from him, but he kept on. Not caring as his knuckles split with every hit. Though she couldn't see it from behind, his faced was scrunched up in anger and frustration, d

Raven stood there for a moment, watching, unsure of what to do. She idly noticed a bucket and some soap, indicating that he was prepared for the mess. She didn't know how to proceed, f went to stop him, for all she know he could round on her. Actually, she threw that thought away the moment it came to her. He wouldn't hurt her. she was fairly certain.

She turned her attention to her powers. Usually she tried to ignore her empathy, though it was often hard with Percy. When she checked this tie, she winced as the storm of emotions radiating off him surpassed even the first time she met him.

After a few more moments she decided he wasn't going to stop any time soon unless she did something. So, she decided to do something she assumed she would regret immediately after.

Percy, who had been doing the only thing in his currently irrational mind that would make him feel better, slowly started to feel a little better, which he wasn't expecting.

After a while he finally stopped punching, allowing his split knuckles to heal as he breathed unevenly. He still didn't feel content, he doubted he ever would, but he didn't feel like his world was about to explode anymore. The thoughts of how useless, how much of a gods damned screw up he was, slowly became a little quieter.

And that was progress in his book.

The day after that, he was summoned to the briefing room, where he met Batman, and no one else."

Percy looked around for am moment before saying, "So, are you finally going to kick me off the team?"

He meant it as a joke, kind off, but of all the responses he didn't' expect: "Close… tell me, do you know of the ice villain incident that occurred the day you arrived?"

"Uh… no?"

 **Chapter 15**

 **Okay so this took longer for a multitude of reasons. The one I'm going to cling to is my new job, it's great by the way, better pay, better hours, better everything really… but I'm getting up at 3:30… nothings perfect.**

 **Next chapter will be a different rendition of the next two episodes. I'm aware of more events happening in the comic, but I'm really only going to integrate the tv show, unless there are some events in the comic Cyou would like to be in here. Let me know and I'll consider it.**


	16. Chapter 16

third person POV

The van was uncomfortably quiet for most of the ride. the armed guard doing nothing to help the situation. it wasn't till their destination was in sight, that one of the passengers sighed, "I can't believe you made me go first. what in the world are _you_ doing here?"

The person sitting across from them replied with a heavy sigh of his own, "It's a long story. what about you? I didn't think non-powered people were held here."

"I could say the same for superheroes."

Her fellow passenger stiffened at her words before looking at her in the eye, "Let's just get to the point Cheshire, what's your angle?"

The wild-haired young woman smirked across from him. "If you must know, the regular prisons were having trouble holding me. Oh don't give me that look, did you really think I wouldn't. try to escape? Unfortunately, Arrow and little sis were there at every attempt, ready to put me back. it was kind of creepy really. Though I might not have minded it as much if it were you, Perseus."

Percy ignored the fluttering eyelashes as he took another look out the window of the prison van. He was stripped down to nothing but a pair of jeans and a t shirt, along with a less than fashionable collar around his neck. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Oh my, someone's grumpy today. So, tell me: what does a young up and coming superhero like you have to do to get sent to a place like this?"

Percy shrugged, "One you know, go on a small killing spree in Bialya, dismembered one of my own teammates, stuff like that."

At this the smirk fell away from the assassins now much paler face, "You don't mean—"

"Relax." Percy waved her off, using both of his bound hands, "I was only _aiming_ for Artemis. lucky for her Kid Flash managed to get in the way of my arm first. took both of his hands off in the process though. So really the question is: is your sister worth his hands?"

Jade jerked forward, instinctually going to strike the man in front of her, only for her chains to stop her. After a few minutes of heavy breathing she managed to ask, "why?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Why what?

"Cut the shit! Last time we met you were all about protecting your teammates! Now you're trying to kill then? It doesn't make sense! You're lying!"

Percy snickered before turning to the guard "This guy's seen the news. You've heard about it right?"

The shotgun toting guard met the prisoner's eyes with a snarl before taking the butt of his gun to Percy's face. Throwing his head back against the wall behind him as the apparent teen laughed hysterically, "That's for Kid you sadistic motherfucker."

Percy continued to giggle to himself, much to Jades horror, but as she watched the golden ichor dripping down his forehead from where the guard struck him, she felt a strange sense of ease creep through her. it didn't make sense, no sense at all, but as she stared into his eyes, that seemed to be doing their best to appear as manic as possible, she knew.

There was no way in hell he was telling the whole story.

The alarm blared as the prisoners were shuffled forward, before the door slammed shut behind them. next thing they knew they were stood before a rather larger dark-skinned woman who was glaring down at them like a plate of spoiled meat.

After a moment she said, "Usually I have a speech for new inmates, but this is a unique situation. Never in my days have I heard of a prisoner so bad they had to be sent here, despite a lack of meta ability." she leaned down towards jade, "That is because it does not exist. You may be top dog where you come from missy, but the only reason you are here is because the state was tired of dealing with you. I intend to have you back where you belong by the end of the month."

Despite the shocking developments in the van , Jade still had it in her to smirk at the older woman, "well I must say, of all the door greeters I've encountered you have got to be in the top ten."

Rather than laugh or scowl, the woman simply pulled out a small remote and pressed the button. In an instant, Jade was on her knees, gritting her teeth in agony as her collar sent electricity coursing through her body.

It stopped a moment after however as the woman looked down at the panting girl with indifference, before glancing at the man beside her, who despite experiencing the same level of shock, was still standing, and even snickered a bit. "Something funny Jackson?"

Percy rolled his eyes, not intimidated by the name drop, "Please lady, I've been blasted with lighting as a practical joke by a friend."

The woman narrowed her eyes, "That was simply a warning shock. If things were to escalate, the next would knock you unconscious in an instant no matter how much pain tolerance you may have. Shall we test it?"

Percy was about to give another smart-ass answer, Jade was sure of it, so she quickly stood and said, "I think he gets it! Right?" she glared at boy, who didn't seem to get her point, after a moment of glaring however he simply shrugged, before Jade looked at the woman, see?"

The woman rolled her eyes before one again narrowing them at Percy, "I always suspected one of you hero types would flip one day. That's why Belle Rev is strong enough to hold any meta, including Superman, trust me, we checked. You can keep up that happy go lucky attitude all you want, but sooner or later you will realize the situation you're in. You're not getting out of here."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "I think we both know that I will... Amanda," he took a moment to read her name tag, "either by breakout, or digging myself out of the dust when this place fades away into the sands of time. Trust me warden, compared to some other prisons I've been held in, this will be a cake walk.

After that the two were introduced to Hugo Strange, who had a rather obvious inclination towards Percy, seeing him as absolutely fascinating and offering him all the help he may need. he was answered with spit to the face.

As the two prisoners were taken to their respective wings, Amanda found herself watching Percy, as one of the guards tried to shove him forward but found himself unable to move the boy at all. a moment later however he walked forward on his own, smiling in amusement.

For the first time in probably years, Amanda felt a bit of fear creep its way into her gut.

 **Two days earlier**

M'gann couldn't move. every inch of her wanted to, but she couldn't.

She was stood at the counter at the mountain's kitchen area, watching Tyson through the door way. he was sitting on the couch, watching Percy's court proceedings.

It was honestly quite astounding how fast everything happened. normally court cases took days, weeks, even years for the bigger cases, but with the public practically rioting, and the leagues insistence things went down pretty quickly. it's not every day an adolescent superhero is dismembered by another. kid flash had a lot of supporters, enough to surprise even him, and when they learned what happened to him, well let's just say they were eager to see justice served.

Percy was fairly convincing in his part. every time he was called to the stand he ended up raving like a lunatic, screaming how he was tired of the league, how they reminded him of the Olympians, how he would kill every one of them before he let them make him a slave, along with everyone who tried stop him.

Naturally talk of an insanity plea was discussed, but he simply snarled when he heard about it, and gave the most haunting response anyone had ever heard, "insane? please. I've been to Tartarus jackass, for decades! you go crazy there as a rule, and if you're lucky you come back. I may have gone in and out more than once, but no, I promise you, I'm not crazy, I'm just done. done with the gods, done with being a hero, done with all of you _pathetic mortals!"_

That last one was hard for the whole team to hear. they all knew how he hated that attitude in gods. it was also part of one of the biggest gambles of batman's plan: revealing his godhood. it was solidified a second later when Percy bit the inside of his cheek and spat a glob of ichor onto the wooden rail in front of him.

it was brought up later in an interview with the league. superman was the one who got to answer: "Yes we lied about him being a demigod." that caused a roar of anger from the crowd until he continued, "Look we all know that people already fear the League by themselves, some even call _us_ gods! To say we had a genuine one under our tutelage would done nothing to help that situation. It is only title at the end of the day, he has stated, under the lasso I might add, that he doesn't have all the powers of the gods of his world and is actually closer to a demigod. I am sorry we lied to you all, and I will take responsibility, but I hope you will remember that we only had the publics peace of mind at heart

Superboy growled from his spot beside Tyson before nudging the young Cyclops "hey don't you have a stable to build or something?"

Tyson looked at him uncertainly, "w-well yes but—"

Superboy was already pulling him to his fee, "well come on then. sitting here doing nothing isn't going to help him.

Tyson looked like he wanted to argue but relented in the end, following the clone out of the mountain, much to M'gann's relief.

he had been stuck on that couch for days, watching his rother on the news. he wasn't crying. not anymore at least. batman himself had explained the situation to him, and made it clear that Percy wasn't actually in trouble, but that doesn't make it easier to see his brother get sneered and screamed at on live television.

the plan was alarming to all of them really. in order to investigate a potential jail break in belle rev, the league made use of Percy's latest incident and spun it as him going over to the bad side. Percy agreed to it right away, not giving a damn about the possible stain it would leave on his reputation. he also agreed to give his full name out to the public, as is custom with most supervillain arrests. he reasoned that he didn't actually have an identity to protect in this world, so it wasn't an issue.

"He's finally left?"

M'gann jumped ag bit before collecting herself. raven had a bad habit of sneaking up on people, though M'gann didn't know if it was intentional or not.

She sighed, "Yeah, thanks to Superboy somehow. I wish I could hav3e said something but… I just couldn't think of anything helpful.,"

Raven hummed thoughtfully, "Probably because there wasn't anything helpful to say.\ ."

The Martian eyed the sorceress in annoyance, "Thanks, that makes me feel better."

"It wasn't meant to, but if that's what you're looking for, maybe don't spend your time watching him?"

M'gann narrowed her eyes now, before fully turning to raven with her arms crossed, 'alright, if you think so, then how about we finally have that "talk" we agreed to in Bialya. we've been busy the past few days, but now seems as good a time as any don't you think?"

M'gann already had trouble reading human emotions sometimes, and raven was the hardest of them all, but the flinch she caused her was so prominent she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt."

Before she could apologize, raven spoke up, "Yeah… I think you're right.

The two girls soon found themselves in raven's room. Aside from having several wards preventing things like specters and eavesdropping, It was also incredibly exhausting to be in, in M'gann's opinion at least. The coloring was completely dark and drab, creepy looking talismans and crucifixes littered the shelves and walls, the only thing she liked was the elegantly dressed bedspread and wide array of books.

The entire mood was mournful, but M'gann still decided to be polite and commented, "This is… nice."

"Thanks. I assume you want to know why I'm a demon?"

Straight to the point as always. M'gann gulped a bit and asked, "I-is that what that was?"

Raven took a seat on her bed, looking away from the Martian girl as she responded, "there isn't a better word for it."

M'gann considered that for a moment, and raven's obvious uncomfortableness. "I'm actually more concerned with where you _were."_

Raven looked at her in surprise, "Oh… that's…. well it's basically hell. maybe not capital h hell, there are no tortured souls there, though I know that there are in hades, so maybe there are different afterlife's for different people."

M'gann too ka deep breath before saying, "it looked… almost identical to the Tartarus I saw in Percy's mind."

At this raven's eye's widened to the size of saucers.

M'gann kept going however, "That… creature, torturing you, he called you… daughter. is he—"

"My father, unfortunately." Raven stated, looking away again. "He is the great demon Trigon, destroyer of worlds. he has already killed or enslaved thousands of worlds in his dimension, and he is always reaching out to others."

M'gann's eyes widened, "So he wants…"

"Earth." Raven nodded. "Luckily or unluckily, he can't enter another dimension, without an invitation. that's how I was born. My mother fell into the wrong crowd, tried to summon the devil, and to their surprise, they got him. It opened the path enough for him to send a small part of himself through, taking human form, fooling my mother, and impregnating her. nine months after he abandoned her I came around. he needs someone like him to be his doorway, someone like me."

M'gann processed that for a moment before asking, "But you would never do it, how does he expect to get here if you won't open the way?"

"He doesn't really need my consent, just my blood. his sons, his demons, his followers, have been after me for a long time now. that's why I was always on the move. no matter where they go, they always find me."

M'gann was going to ask something else, when she realized something, "Not here though."

Raven looked at her, "This is the longest I've stuck around anywhere without being attacked. maybe it's because they fear you guys, or the Justice League, but they haven't gotten close to me in here. I still don't know why for sure … but I have a theory."

M'gann looked at her with concern, "you look like you hope you're wrong."

Raven sighed, "if I'm right then… well that's not important. that's it then. I'm a demon. my true form is what you saw in that vision, what you see here is a basic spell I use at all times, to purify my appearance, so to speak" she chuckled a bit, making M'gann a bit uneasy , "It takes constant attention and mana, enough that it weakens me in battle , but I keep doing it anyway, because I'm too scared, to ashamed to show my true form to even my enemies. isn't that pathetic?"

M'gann winced, "I can understand why you'd think that…"

Raven was silent for a. moment before gasping, "oh no… I didn't mean—"

"It's fine." M'gann took a seat next to her finally, "Holding this form is kind of the same, it takes a bit of mental concentration to hold. a good friend would tell you that you shouldn't be afraid to show your true self or something, but… well I would be a pretty big hypocrite if I said that."

With a heavy sigh M'gann flopped down on Raven's bed, staring at the ceiling, "it's not all racism I fear either. All beings have a deep primal disposition to be wary of creatures bigger, stronger, and above all: different. the most open minded individual on earth would still be on edge around me, and I couldn't blame them."

raven nodded for a moment before saying, "but people can get over that with time. humans tamed wolves, lions, even elephants. once they get used to you there is potential for acceptance." M'gann closed her eyes, "then it's the getting used to it part that's the problem."

"…yeah."

the two girls were silent for. several moments after that, deep I thought both of them. it was a few minutes before raven finally said, "after seeing it once, I've been playing around with the image inn my head, and I'm pretty much used to it already."

M'gann looked at her in surprised, "what?"

raven looked away, unable to maintain eye contact, "I'm just saying… I've set up this room so no one can possibly see us while we are in here, x ray vison or otherwise. if you ever want to… relax a bit. you're welcome to come here."

M'gann felt her heart beat heavily in her chest, "R-really? I'm a bit distracting though, do you mean when you're out of the room or—"

"No, whenever you want." Raven looked at her seriously.

M'gann was about to tackle her friend in a hug of gratitude, but held back, partly because she knew Raven wouldn't like it, and mostly because of her next question, "Will you as well? I would be completely fine with it! I'm just making sure I'm not cutting in to your… relaxing."

Raven stiffened a bit, "I… don't relax in that form."

M'gann raised her eyebrows, "what? why?"

Raven stood up suddenly, looking as if she might yell, before she clenched her jaw and crossed her arms, regaining control, "My true form is… evil and demonic. I shouldn't be comfortable in that skin."

M'gann stared at her friend for a few moments before closing her eyes and shifting, back into her white Martian form.

To her credit, Raven didn't even flinch, only eyeing the change curiously. when she was fully transformed, M'gann spoke telepathically, "People back on mars have been telling me something similar about this form for years Raven. Sure I acquiesced, I was ashamed for it but I did. However, my mother always told me that no matter how I hide it, this _is_ me. it was when I was born and will be when I die. she didn't ask me to stop hiding, but she said that so many times it made me grind my teeth just hearing it, but I know what she meant. There's nothing we can do to change this, not permanently, so it will be easier to just accept it and move on from there."

Raven eyed her cautiously, "so I should just suck it up and accept it?"

M'gann waved her arms embarrassedly, which was quite a sight n her true form, "I don't mean it like that. honestly, I'm not sure if I've truly accomplished that myself. but I would always revert back to this form when I was alone or with family. I won't force you to do it if you're not comfortable but… just know that I won't judge you if you do. okay?"

Raven nodded silently, before walking over to her book shelve.

"What are you doing?" M'gann asked.

Raven responded by holding up a book, or more accurately a tome, with the staff of Hermes symbol. for a moment M'gann wondered why she was researching Greek mythology from a book, when they had two experts on hand, when she remembered one was going to prison, and the other wasn't exactly in talking condition right now.

Also, she remembered where she often saw that image: hospitals.

 **Present day, central city.**

A TV clicked off as Barry's mother huffed at it, "Well it's about damn time!"

Wally rolled his eyes at his mother, long since fed up with her outbursts. "I was watching that mom."

Mary West sighed as she walked over to her son's bedside, sitting down an stroking his hair lovingly, "I know son, and I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to be thinking about that _horrible_ man while you're still… recovering."

Wally grimaced. Right now he knew he was a pretty sorry sight. He had been restrained to his bed for days, by just about everyone who had a say, his arms wrapped up tightly while they "healed". He had told Barry and his parents several times that his friend had healed his arms magically, but the very word made their eyebrows rise automatically. This was a family of science, and they were going to treat his as such. which meant at least a few weeks of bed rest.

And it was _killing_ him.

Seriously, he thought at least Barry would understand that, but his uncle in law was just as insurant as everyone else that he stay in bed and recover. Like somehow that will magically make his hands grow back?

Speaking of which, he had several visits from Zatara. the elderly magician had concluded that he only way for his hands to be return was from a much more powerful being, or a sacrifice. Wally didn't know anyone that could will hands into existence, and Zatara expressly told him that the sacrifice was not something worth messing with. That was fine with him. it was sounding a little too much like black magic or something, and he didn't think his mother Would approve.

He did actually care about her opinion on some things. But definitely not this. "if I lay in this bed one more day I really think I might explode mom."

She waved him off, "Oh hush, you're always going on about wanting to sleep in more, well now you can. You should be thanking me for not getting you started on make-up homework yet."

That made him wince. School, how was he going to explain this? He already pushes it enough with letting his hair free while in uniform. if he shows up to class with no hands even weeks after kid flash lost his, someone was bound to make the connection.

His mom seemed to realize what he was thinking and simply smile an stroked his hair a bit, }"don't worry dear, Barry has the whole league working on it. you'll be—you'll be able to go to school wi. someday."

A knock at the front door drew both their attention, and a smile to his moms face, "Oh! See now I don't know why you're complaining so much! not every guy can say they have a beautiful young lady waiting on him."

Wally grimaced at this, and what was to come. No doubt that was Artemis to come visit him. again.

This is how he knew something was wrong with him. By all means he he'd finally gotten the girl of his dreams, yet whenever she visited, and especially whenever she made any… flirtatious gestures, instead of feeling giddy or happy, he only felt… some ugly twain of emotion, deep in his chest. he wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure it was not supposed to be there.

Artemis cautiously peaked her head through his bedroom door, something that would send him into a panic under normal circumstances. usually his room was an absolute wreck, partly from speedster wind, partly from general laziness, but his mom was kind enough to take care of the mess, and having no hands, he was unable to mess it up again.

So he simply forced a smile as she entered, "Hey."

She smiled back, that same smile that sent the feeling wild within, "Hey Handsome… how are you doing?"

He looked around with a shrug, "Not much, just sitting here…. oh you said _how,_ well… about as well as a guy who has been stuck in his bed for three days can be."

Artemis sighed as she sat down on the bed beside him, "You're restless."

"Winner winner."

"Hey it's not so bad, you have TV right?"

"That I can't control."

"W-well—"

"And every other channel is covering Percy's imprisonment."

Artemis looked down at his floor, "I'm sorry."

That was that feeling again, alike a vice grip on his gut, "I told you to quit it with that. it' was no one's fault, least of all yours."

"Still… you-"

"Saved my teammates life," Wally cut her off, "it's kind of what teammates do"

she looked at him blankly, "You didn't know we were team mates at the time."

"... the power of friendship?"

She raised an eyebrow at that, "friendship huh? is that what you want to call it?" his eyes widened as she began to lean closer.

In a moment of panic he instinctively tried to push her away by the shoulder. it probably would have worked to.

If he had hands.

Unfortunately he seemed to forget that he in fact, did not, so when his hand did not reach her shoulder like he expected, he lost balance and his stump kept going forward , right into Artemis' breast.

The silence following was ten kinds of uncomfortable. Artemis found herself uncertain whether to be, flattered, offended, or grossed out. she really hoped it didn't end on the third one.

Wall on the other hand felt the feeling in him grow larger and larger by the moment. Alongside came a healthy dose of embarrassment and frustration. his first time touching a girl there and it was with his stump? And on accident?

Artemis finally opened her mouth to say something, but whether it would have been positive or negative, we'll never know as, Wally beat her to the e punch as he recoiled his arm violently, "C-could you just back off!"

Artemis'' eyes widened, unable to comprehend where the shouting had come from, "excuse me?"

"I'm tired of this! it's bad enough that I'm cooped up here!"

At this Artemis regained her bearings , and her eyes narrowed. she straightened up, and away from the boy before her, who had his arms crossed like a pouty child "That's precisely why I thought I'd keep you company. I didn't realize it was such a _bother_ to you!"

Wally's face scrunched up in irritation, but didn't say anything, refusing to meet here gaze.

With a start Artemis realized he was giving her the silent treatment, for no reason!. she huffed and stood up, "Fine, if you don't want me here I'll leave. "

And then she did, walking right out his door. His parents asked her what was wrong on the way out, to which she answered honestly that she didn't know.

All the while wally felt the feeling growing larger , and larger, and larger, along with a heavy

 **belle rev**

Percy growled as he was thrown into his new cell, but did nothing. he wasn't actually mad at the guar … much. although after a century in the worst prison ever, he was more than aware of the brutality of prison guards where it's not warranted. he would say he didn't blame them if he hadn't been on the business end of it himself.

With an aggravated sigh, he turned to look at his new cell mate. he was met with a toothy grin, framed by a scaly complexion, a deep gravelly voice spoke "Hello _hero_."

Percy simply raised an eyebrow. He had heard of Killer Croc before. He was one of batman's regulars. the hulking reptile was at least 7 feet tall, causing him to tower over the new inmate, even as he was sitting down. his skin was covered in green scales, apparently strong enough to stop bullets. His face was vaguely humanlike, but shifted and angled differently due to his crocodile nature. most prominent was his lack of a nose, using two slits instead .

Percy simply nodded up at him, "Hey. I take it you're bottom bunk?"

The criminal's eyes widened for a moment, before letting out a low hiss, like his animal counterpart, "Who's to say I don't want the top?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Well I just figured, since you're sitting on the bottom right now, and you probably weigh enough to collapse it on top of me if you get up there. though you might like that huh?"

Instead of agreeing, croc stood up and towered over the god, "You calling me fat little man? I've eaten people for less!"

Again Percy rolled his eyes, "Geeze, sensitive much? and you and I both know that's not true."

Croc was taken a back, "What?"

"The whole cannibal thing? total rumor. Kind of like… I don't know… alligators in the sewer? Wait, that's not a good example."

Croc glowered at his cell mate "I have eaten _hundreds_ of—"

"I've read your file." Percy interrupted, before walking around the stunned man and crawling up the bed, "The cannibal thing was a rumor that you let spread because you liked the fear you instill in people. the worst you've done is let your pet crocodiles eat people."

"I don't have pet crocodiles!"

"Percy poked his head over the edge. "exactly."

If crocs face could turn red, it would be right now. "you little _pest!_ "

"Name calling? come on I thought you of all people would know better."

It looked like he was going to say something back , but instead croc just grumbled and sat back down on his bunk, "I could rip you to pieces you know…"

"Not with that collar you won't. though that is strange. isn't your power genetic? how does it turn it off?"

He cell mate growled, "if I knew that do you think I would still l be here? it works on all powers, regardless of where they come from."

Percy hummed thoughtfully as he fingered his own collar. It was inscribed with Hundreds s of Runes that were supposed to keep his godly power contained, or at least, more so than it was already was.

"Why are you even here anyway? Last I heard you took down Clayface with that little team of yours."

Percy's eyes widened now, "How do you know about the team?"

Croc snorted, "Cause I saw you idiot. Clay and I were on the same job when you showed up. I guess Bats sent you all after him while he took care of me. So, what happened? Piss off the wrong politician? Don't tell me you just up and went to the dark side."

Percy laughed, "Dark side? you guys actually call it that? Well at least you're self-aware. I don't know if I'd call it the darks side, more like my side. And Also I sliced my teammates hands off."

He heard the lumbering man choke beneath him, "Why!?"

"He was annoying?"

There was a moment of silence then, until a strange noise, reminiscent of a tire being slashed repeatedly came from below. with a start Percy realized it was laughter.

"I like you kid!" croc exclaimed, "Tell me, what are your planning when you get out of here?"

Percy smiled, but didn't push, not yet, "Whatever I want. and don't call me kid, I'm 158."

"Yeah well you look like a kid. I'd offer you a place in my crew, but I doubt you'd agree to being bossed around."

Percy laughed, "Yeah and it's not like your crew is the first choice of every sociopath in Gotham."

cue the hissing again, before croc restrained himself, "I was thinking about a temporary partnership, seeing how it worked out. with your water power, and my muscle we could probably do a lot of damage, but if you're going to be a dick about t…"

Percy hummed at that, "interesting… I 'll consider it Waylon."

"…what did you call me?"

Percy blinked, "Waylon jones, isn't that your name?"

Percy grew defensive as crocs ugly mg appeared next to him, the man now standing beside the bed, h,, but the look in his eyes stopped him from doing anything, "no one's called me that for years…"

Percy nodded in understanding. "they just go straight to killer croc?"

"or freak or whatever they can come up with."

"I read how you grew up. it wasn't the same, but I can kind of relate. I got thrown out of like seven schools because of an unfortunate mixture of dyslexia and ADHD, and even among my own kind I was treated like an abomination."

Waylon raised a scaly brow, "Your kind? Demigods?"

Percy smirked before putting his thumb in his mouth and biting lightly. he pulled it out and showed the ichor running down it, "I've been upgraded. don't worry though, I'm not into the whole worship thing."

Waylon gawked at him, "Out of all the villains I've met, the actual god is the one who doesn't want to be worshiped? That is just rich…"

Percy chuckled at him trying hard not tow wince at his new label, "Villain is a strong word, and childish too. I'm not out to rule humanity or any smaller section of it. I just want what I want, when I want it, and I don't want to be disturbed when I get it."

slowly, a small smile crept on to Waylon's face, before he brared loudly. "I think I like that! " he went to sit back down as he continue , "truth be told, I don't really want to go back to my crew, or anywhere in Gotham really, but I've kind of dug the whole too deep you know?"

Percy did know, "Whenever you're in too deep, you just need a friend to help pull you out."

"….yeah. I guess you're right."

Some people might have had trouble sleeping over an enormous crocodile man, but Percy was pretty okay with it. he certainly hadn't expected to have such a serious conversation with his cell mate, but he decided to take it as a win.

Now however he was faced with the thing he feared most about the prison filled with psychopathic villains: Sleeping. the collar around his neck, while not actually restricting _all_ of his powers, as he wasn't sure that was even possible, still monitored his vitals. if he never slept while he was her, people would notice, and might become suspicious.

He had no choice this time. he would have to. with a heavy sigh he laid on his back and closed his eyes, hoping enough time had passed that he could dream a peaceful sleep.

Fire.

Pain.

Screaming.

"Wake up!"

Percy bolted upright, his fist already striking out at the noise, only to hit something annoyingly hard he looked to his right to see Waylon standing with a glare and a hand on his jaw. "Shit kid, you hit hard. that's what I get for trying to wake you out of a nightmare huh?"

Percy took a moment to breath before saying, "Sorry… did I wake you?"

The thought seemed to amuse the villain, "I'm a heavy sleeper, but you definitely pissed off some other guys with how loud you were screaming. What the hell happened to you to make you scream shit like that?"

"Shit like what?"

"Kill me', 'Give me my arms back', and my personal favorite. "not the spleen'. WHY would you say that?"

Percy shivered, "They used to use my organs to suffocate me with."

That made his razor filled jaw drop, "Shit… who is they?"

Percy hopped down from his bunk, landing on his feet with ease, "Just a couple angry immortals. Don't look into it. So when are we out of here?"

Instead of answering, Waylon simply held up a finger, right as the guards called out, "breakfast time, freaks!"

They allowed themselves to be cuffed and sh8ffled off to the cafeteria. the morning meal was meatloaf for some reason. Percy was quick to get a tray and take a seat. he spotted Waylon, sitting at his own table alone. he had to stifle a chuckle at how much like children these villains were, when a foot was thrust in front of him, causing him to fall forwards, spilling his meal everywhere.

The room erupted into laughter as he calmly stood up, looking at the mess he had made on his shirt as well as the floor. with a shrug, he pulled it off.

The laughter quickly died after that. whispers took their place. Percy could only make out so much. Most of them were "holy shit" or something along those lines, though there were few mentions of someone called Zsasz

He looked next to him, where the foot would have had to come from. there, staring up at him with an incredibly pitiful face, was a scrawny brown haired man, with a look in his eye that simply said "I fucked up didn't I?"

Percy smirked, "stand up."

The man gulped, "I'd rather not."

Rolling his eyes, Percy grabbed the man by the shirt and lifted him up in the air with one hand. at this the whispers turned into excited murmurs and a few cheers. Apparently, this guy wasn't very popular.

As raised a fist however, someone called out , "Hey hero!" maybe he did have friends? " that's our punching bag!" Guess not.

Percy turned to see a large man flanked by an even larger creature he recognized as the one he fought at Santa Prisca: Mammoth. "and you are?"

"Icicle Sr. but you can call me boss. I'm the capo around here."

"T-thank you sir!" the man in his hand sputtered out.

The burly man growled, "Can it Riddler! This isn't about you!"

Percy sighed loudly, "Fine, I'll only break him a little bit. happy?"

Sr.. narrowed his eyes, "I said put him down."

"No you didn't."

That got a few snickers around the room, all silenced by a sneer on their faces, "it was implied brat. since you're so keen on disobeying, I'll go ahead and show you what happens when you do. boys."

At the word he soon found himself surrounded, a few familiar faces were Mammoth, the hook guy that was with Cheshire, the magician guy from the tower mission, and Waylon, much to his disappointment.

Or it was, until the lizard man flew past him and hit Sr. sending him flying, and reminding Percy that while they were all depowered, they still had muscle mass. Waylon then gave him a toothy grin, "I was getting real tired of that guy."

Percy couldn't answer, as everyone else was already attacking him. thinking fast, he leapt on the head of the first idiot to dive towards him using him as a spring board to leap at mammoth. he then let gravity do the rest, bringing his elbow down non the unprepared monsters head. without its enhanced durability, it crumbled like tissue paper.

Percy turned to the others, ready to take care of the rest, but to his slight disappointment, they were all on the floor, writhing in agony from their shock collars

His was on as well, though e wince again forced himself to ignore the agony it broth with it, much to the dismay of the guard holding the remote on the balcony above them.

With a sigh he turned around and started to walk away. stopping when the guard shouted, "w-what the hell are you doing?"

Percy looked up at him, "getting a new tray."

He then turned and looked down at where Riddler was screaming in pain, and punted his face, sending teeth flying and knocking his jaw loos.

 **Later**

"I heard Riddler is gonna need surgery for his face." Waylon commented. he was currently laying on his bunk below Percy, the two had been silent for a while.

"I had to send a message." Percy explained, 'tow actually. one: I'm not a good guy anymore, and two: don't mess with my food.

Cue the hissing laughter, "I hear ya. no one likes Riddler anyways. don't even know what he's doing here. he seems more like the Arkham type if you ask me."

Percy shrugged, "apparently he was "too smart" to be kept there. didn't seem all that smart to me…"

"We did upset Sr. though…"

"Oh he'll be fine. he'll probably respect me more for it." Percy commented, almost to himself.

Waylon scoffed, "How do you figure?"

"strength respects strength. I spent a century in the toughest prison out there Waylon I , I know what I', talking about."

"…is that where you got those—"

"Yeah."

Waylon hissed

"I agree."

A few more moments went by before Waylon said, "Words been going around, something big is going to happen in a few weeks. something the hero types won't like."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that I will like it?"

"As long as s you're willing to make nice with Sr."

Percy sneered, "I changed my mind, I won't like it."'

 **Two days later**

Superboy was not having a good day.

Granted he doesn't usually have a good day, I his opinion, but his opinion of a good day might just be unobtainable at this point.

it was an alright day at first. he'd been working on keeping Tyson busy, and not thinking about Percy, while also attending high school with M'gann for some goddamn reason, during which he had impulsively taken a name that he immediately regretted, though to his relief, no one had commented yet. They had mainly worked on the pegasus stables together, in preparation for the incoming mares that batman managed to round up. today however, tyson was finally going back on patrol in Manhattan .

Everyone in the cave had told him that he didn't have to. and that I might be better that he didn't, but his response, about how he couldn't stop thinking of all the things he'd saved people from before, and all the things likely still happening now, managed to shut everyone up instantly.

Superboy asked to come along to take sure he was okay. with everything Percy did, he was afraid people might not take Tyson's presence very well.

He was right.

They were shouted at, cursed at, had stuff thrown at them, and even took a few bullet , but Tyson ignored all of it. he used his new scarlet wingspan to reach all the victims as fast as possible, took care of them, then left as the victim cursed his name. Superboy found himself yelling back at them a few times, but it never helped anything.

They kept at it till nightfall, and were about to zeta tube back to the cave, when Superboy saw something that made him pause.

A bright flash of green light entered het atmosphere, slicing through the air straight towards the ground, before it landed somewhere in central park.

"That seems bad." Tyson commented beside him. The two were perched atop a fairly tall building in a na attempt to escape the angry new Yorkers.

Superboy sighed tiredly ,"yeah it does. come one let's go check it out."

Tyson nodded and spread his wings, the act once again enthralling Superboy. the wings were created so when they weren't being used, the tips that extend past his arms collapse into his forearm, while the feathers that hung below his arms curl upwards, wrapping tightly against his arms, until it looked like he was simply wearing strange red armored sleeves that ended at his shoulder blades , where they met on his back and chest in a manner reminiscent of a sideways hourglass shape. he still wore his brown jumpsuit underneath, which worked surpassingly well with the red.

He spread his wings and took off, while Superboy leaped after him. Tyson had offered to carry him on more than one occasion, Superboy had declined, saying that would be good agility training for him to try and keep up on foot. of course he really just couldn't accept riding on his friends aback, which was the only way Tyson would be able to carry him with his arms being used for flying, aside from his legs, which was somehow worse.

The two made their way towards the crash site, as fast as possible, with Tyson pulling ahead as Superboy leaped is way through central ark. he'd been working on using angles and parts of the landscape to maximize his speed and efficiency, so he was quick to catch up with Tyson when he reached the sit. what he found was… pretty unexpected.

Along with a large crater that took out a few tree , there were several trees knocked over all over the place and a few sidewalk completely destroyed in what looked like a superpowered rampage. Tyson was currently trying to calm down the culprit, which took the appearance of a young, but very mature looking girl, with orange skin, long red hair and strange purple and silver armor. most notably however, was that along with a vicious snarl, she also sported a pair of strange looking handcuffs, which somehow managed to keep her confined, despite hr. obvious enhanced strength.

Tyson nodded to him, "I'm trying to keep her contained, so far she just seems scared, but when I try to calm her down she just shouts in some weird language! I think I might be scaring her…."

As if on cue the girl screamed out in some unintelligible langue before smashing her cuffs against a tree next to he , sending it flying in every direction. that worried Superboy. not the tree exploding part, but he par where she couldn't understand her. the genomorphs had downloaded every language known to man into his brain before he awoke. the obvious answer was there, but he really didn't want to deal with first contact with an alien species today.

Another frustrated scream from the girl told him he had no choice, so he told Tyson, "I'll get her attention, while you go around and restrain her."

Tyson nodded and shot into the air with a single flap, disappearing into the clouds while Superboy headed towards the girl.

He decided to try the most direct route first, "hey ! could you calm down and look at me for a second?"

The girl, surprisingly, stopped thrashing about and looked at him with a glare. he sighed in relief and slowly began to approach, his hands raised in surrender "I don't know what your deal is, but we don't have to be enemies. I can help you out of those and we can figure this out , without destroying anything else. okay?"

She only looked confused, no doubt as clueless in English as he was in her language. he decided to risk taking a few more steps forward. she didn't like it.

She charged forward, raising her confined arms and striking him across the face. having seen what that did to the trees he expected to be send flying, but was pleasantly surprised when he was only knocked back a few steps, with only a slight sting to his face. it seems she wasn't quite up to his strength level.

While he was taking a moment to celebrate however, she had gritted her teeth and charged once more , this time leaping at him so she landed with her legs on his shoulders, causing him to yelp in surprise. he had no time to think about their precarious position however, as she arched backwards and used her whole body to flip his forward, slamming him on his back. this time he felt a bit more than a sting.

Before he could pull himself up however, she climbed on top of him and leveled her fists at his face, speaking a few words in an obvious warning tone, but still unintelligible.

with an aggravated scoff eh said, "I don't know what you're saying!"

By the look on her face that was the wrong answer. her fist the began to glow green with energy, as Superboy felt his stomach drop at what that meant.

Of course she has energy blasts.

In a panic, he pushed her off of him with a little more force than necessary, sending her flying back, through several trees to boot before she landed in a small pond half a mile away. Superboy winced at the sight, and paled slightly when she rose out of the water, pure murder in her eyes."

He cursed under his breath before meeting her oncoming charge, while shouting, "I got her attention, any time you're ready t!"

He held his hand up to block the energy blasts he sent his way. he may be durable but those still stung like a mother. he pressed on however, unwilling to lose her attention.

Right before they collided however, a brown and red blur fell behind her, and before she could react, wrapped her up in a pair of inhumanly strong arms.

The girl fought and kicked against Tyson, shooting green blasts in every direction as she did so, but could not break the cyclops grip. Superboy this time to walk up to be. which made her widen her eyes in… fear. Also, he now noticed that her eyes were green even the whites were slightly tinted with the color.

He tried coming off as peaceful again as he approached though it was hard with her constant barrage of energy blasts "it's okay— damnit will you stop already! Tyson get ready to switch positions if I can't break it!"

Tyson nodded, tough didn't look pleased with the idea and vey weary of the violent redhead in his arms. Superboy managed to get close enough to grab her arms, despite her warning shouts, and with a yell of frustration pulled them apart with all his might

To his sincere relief, his strength was enough, and it broke the cuffs apart, shattering them as well, which left the girl's armored hands free. she stopped moving at that, probably too shocked, which gave Superboy a moment to bend down and catch his breath, wincing as he noticed that her attacks had practically burned his shirt away, exposing his skin covered in slight burn marks.

"There." he sighed out, before looking up, "was that so ha—" he was cut off as he felt something soft pressed against his lips. his eyes widened as he recognized the closed ones inches form his. the girl was kissing him! why was she kissing him? more importantly, why hadn't he stopped her yet.

With a strangled noise of uncertainty, he pushed the girl off her, ready to question her motive , when she noticed her look of bewilderment.

Then she opened her mouth and said

"Que the hölle!?" she explained, before holding g her head n apparent agony.

Superboy stared at her in confusion. he had counted three languages there, Spanish, English and German. how had she learned those words instantaneously?

After a few moments, the girl righted herself, with a new look of confidence, before speaking again, "that's better. now," she turned to the stunned duo, staring at her in confusion, and Tyson looking between the two with even more confusion, "if you value you're lives, you will leave. me. alone." ]

With that she looked up and floated off the ground, causing Superboy's' eye to twitch as she _flew_ away. she could fly too apparently. that was find. he was cool.

He looked at Tyson and stated wearily, "follow her? I'm going to get M'gann and the others, maybe they'll have an easier time with her.

Tyson nodded, taking off after the girl while Superboy made his way to the nearest zeta tube, while turning on his communicator, "Superboy to cave! come in."

A few moments passed, before a voice responded, "Superboy? is this thing working?"

The fact that it was Kara who answered did nothing to help his mood. sure he had nothing against her at this point. she had proven herself a true friend, and has even told him a few stories of krypton, but he was still reminded every time he interreacted with her what a true Kryptonian could do.

"Kara, gather the others in the cave and get to Manhattan asap. we have an extraterrestrial visitor and she doesn't seem happy."

"She? She isn't…"

"She's not Kryptonian," he stifled a growl, "but she is dangerous. she's not actively attacking anyone anymore, but we don't know her intentions and she doesn't seem to want to talk to us, I'll meet you at the manhattan tube, just get here soon.

"Okay! This is great, I'll get chance to try out my new costume."

Superboy rolled h9is eyes at that and hung up, before focusing on his leaping,

He sped up his progress by jumping too and propelling himself off the sides of buildings, like highly destructive ping ball.

He reached the tube, which was disgusted as an abandoned van in an ale y for some reason, just as it activated. a moment later he was greeted by M'gann, raven and… Kara.

"What are you wearing!" he exclaimed in bewilderment.

The girl was wearing blue boots and elbow high gloves, the same blue as superman's costume, along with a red belt and cape with golden clasps at the center of het bel and on her left shoulder. that wasn't what he was worried about however.

Covering her torso, barely, was a white leotard. it was skin tight and showed off her legs and her sizable bust, through a fucking _boob window_ on the center of her chest."

Kara seemed taken aback by his question, while M'gann nervously spoke for her, "Kara told us it was a fashion trend on krypton for girls her age… though I agree it is a bit alarming."

"it's gloating is what it is…" raven murmured, mostly to herself, but Superboy's super hearing picked it up anyway.

Apparently Kara was ignoring it, as she nodded her head, "yeah, and it's also symbolic! I can't' bring myself to take superman's symbol with how he acted, but I don't want to take a another symbol aside from our family crest, so I settled n leaving it blank."

He took a deep becalming breath, but it didn't work, "so you couldn't just leave a blank piece of fabric there?"

Kara frowned, putting a hand on her hip, "no. what's it to you anyways? I know Clark isn't going to like it, but I didn't think you would be a stick in the mud about it too."

Superboy's face probably looked like a stroke victims at the moment, with all the twitching and looks of inner pain, before he growled out, "I don't care. look let's just get back to the real problem here and find Tyson and the girl."

Raven blinked before pointing skyward, "are we sure _they're_ the problem at the moment?"

Everyone looked put to see what she was talking about, and stiffened at the sight of green, small, bulbous looking crafts soaring down from orbit."

"Are they invading?" M'gann asked in alarm.

Kara narrowed her eyes, "I really doubt it, I don't see a mother ship in orbit, so those three are the only ones."

"maybe they want to make peaceful contact with earth?" raven suggested, then froze when everyone looked at her in disbelief, "What? I can be optimistic too!"

"M'gann, can you link us up with Tyson?" Superboy asked.

The Martian nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, before nodding.

Superboy reached out to the cyclops. _Tyson! Tyson can you hear me?_

 _J—Superboy? Are you seeing the spaceships too?_

Superboy sighed, _Yeah. I don't suppose you have an idea of what they want._

 _Well it might be noting, but they_ are _flying directly towards me and Kori._

Superboy flinch, "They are? Wait a minute who's Kori?"

 _The alien girl. She's actually really nice when she's not trying to kill you hold on… ugh, Apparently, they're called Gordonians and they're trying to put her into slavery she was just trying to escape when she came here._

Superboy shared a collective sneer with the girls before replying, _try to stay on the move, but don't hesitate to make contact if they endanger civilian. we'll head towards you_

 _Got it._

Shortly after their conversation, Superboy and the girl were soaring rapidly toward Tyson, with Superboy held up with M'gann's telekinesis. Superboy used is moment of rest to keep tabs on Tyson, and things weren't going very smoothly.

It seemed the goredanians were excellent trackers, as they had quickly made contact with Tyson and Kori, chasing them all over the Manhattan skyline. Apparently, they took the form of winged reptile like humanoids, that while fast, were not fast enough to keep up with Tyson, so the girls had no trouble.

Kara swooped in and grabbed Kori, ignoring the girls protests and energy blasts, as all attacks simply bounced off the Kryptonian, while M'gann grabbed Tyson and brought him along, as he still wasn't as fast as them with his wings. together the group retreated to a safe distance from the Gordonian , or at least are enough away that they'd have enough time to talk before they caught up again.

The group was led by raven to a small restaurant, puzzling everyone with tits name: puzzles, on the other side of the island. the sign had been flipped to closed, no doubt like most restaurants who had seen the aliens, but when the woman in the back spotted who was at her door, she didn't/t hesitate to rush to the door and usher them inside.

"Thank you Caroline!" Tyson exclaimed, "I promise we'll be gone soon! but we need somewhere to lie low for a bit.

Caroline, the owner of puzzles, was a tall, black haired, frankly beautiful woman, in a cute little blue waitress' uniform, with a puzzle piece shaped nametag. she looked about as terrified as anyone else would be in her position, but she seemed to be valiantly holding it back as she greeted the heroes, "I-it's alright Tyson… can I get you all anything?"

She was met with a polite collective refusal, along with a muffled scram of annoyance from Kori, who was still struggling in Kara's grip. Caroline didn't seem to be bothered by that though and simply nodded in understanding, before heading to the bank, saying she would give them all some privacy.

After she was gone, M'gann looked at Tyson curiously, "she knows your name?"

The cyclops rubbed the back of his head nervously, "this is… well it's Percy and my favorite restaurant. we've gotten pretty familiar with the owner. " he ended by pointing to a picture on the wall , that showed Caroline staining in between Tyson and Perseus.

The girls had many questions about that, but raven interrupted her thoughts with, "I think we should get back on track. Kori, if that is your name, she's going to let you go now, but if you try to run away again, we will catch you. understand?"

Kori looked like she didn't want to understand, but nodded anyways.

Kara tentatively released the orange skinned alien, who quickly stepped away and brushed herself of , muttering angrily to herself in the strange language she was speaking before, before looking at her kidnappers angrily, "what is it that you want?"

Superboy snorted, "that's what we want to know! you crash on our planet, start wrecking everything in sight, and expect no one to ask questions about it?"

the girl looked like she had a biting remark ready to shoot back at I , but faltered at the last second and managed to look embarrassed, "I suppose I have been a bit rude. forgive me, I have had a rough few weeks."

she then stood up straighter, with a n air of confidence that impressed even Tyson, who had met gods. "allow me to properly introduce myself. I am koriand'r, former princess of Tamaran. I have no ill will towards your planet, it was simply the closest planet with proper sustenance when I escaped the gordonian fleet."

"Gordonians," M'gann spoke up, "do you mean those lizard guys that were after you?"

Koriand'r nodded with abusable sneer, "indeed. their people and mine have been at war for centuries, and recently, they have claimed victory. because of this, I was made into a… well you would call it a slave. I was being transported to their highest bidder for me, a tyrant who would no doubt have used me for… the most demeaning tasks."

She didn't have to get any clearer for everyone to get the message. but Kori wasn't finished, "I won't stand for it. I am free now, and I will not allow myself to be recaptured. if my world is ever to be freed, I must live on. I realize that this puts your planet in their sights however. therefore, after I have had time to recharge my power, I will make my way to a new planet, where I will form a resistance force to retake Tamera. that lady offered food, is it still open?"

Tyson said he would go check, but Kara stopped him, "wait a second, you said that earth is at risk? how? will they invade?"

Kori almost looked amused at the thought "they do not have the manpower for that. if anything they will use their weaponry to disintegrate the planet if you do not deliver me to them. fear not though, I will be gone before it comes to that.

They were silent for am moment, before Tyson asked, "but what if they use that on another planet? we can't just let them do that right? that's like the worst kind of bullying ever?"

raven nodded, "while I don't know about your wording, I agree that it wouldn't be wise to just let something like that go. we need to make sure that they leave and don't come back.

Kori looked that them in growing excitement, "you mean you will fight by my side?"

"sure beats fighting you ourselves." Superboy remarked.

koriand'r squealed happily standing up and pulling everyone towards her against their will, "oh joy! I am most fortunate to have met such kind people such as you. from now on I shall treat you all as friends... unfortunately I do not know your manes."

There was a moment of hesitation on that, what with secret identities and all, in everyone except Tyson, "hi I'm Tyson!" he waved happily

Kori waved back, a bit hesitantly however, "friend-Tyson, I am very grateful to have such a powerful creature as you on my side. though I hope you don't mind me asking, is it not inconvenient operating with only one ocular organ? in terms of depth perception it seems inefficient."

Tyson chuckled nervously, "uh, it never really gives me issues. I'm a cyclops so it kind of just works for me."

Kori nodded in understanding, though she really didn't understand at all, before turning to the others, "and you all?"

"I'm raven." Raven said simply.

"Kara zor-el," Kara greeted

"M'gann M'orzz, M'gann greeted

Kori nodded happily before finally tuning to Superboy, "and you?"

Superboy looked at the others uncertainly before sighing and saying, "Jackson Kent.


	17. Chapter 17

Third Person POV 

Jackson Kent was about to lose his mind.

If not for M'gann right next to him, he might have strangled the blue skinned teen across from him.

He found himself running through it in his mind and musing how it might actually work out. he was dressed as a villain after all.

This entire mission was annoying him to begin with. Mostly because it was based on the league doubting Percy.

So what if he put another criminal in critical condition? It was a prison, Percy was posing as a criminal, and the whole thing was Batman's idea!

Deep down, He had a feeling that Batman was miffed Percy had beaten down one of _his_ bad guys, worse than he ever did, but he wouldn't dare say that out loud.

His mood was further ruined by the fact that he had his hair dyed blonde and trimmed for this mission, so he could best resemble Tommy Terror. M'gann on the other hand simply had to shapeshift into Tuppence.

They were currently chained up in the back of a prison transport bus, along with Icicle Jr. and Mr. Freeze himself. The first one had instantly taken a liking to M'gann, or Tuppence Terror, and had endlessly flirted with her. even going so far as to ask Jackson to put in a good word for him! He wasn't' sure if the kid was stupid or if he knew how much of a creep he was coming across as.

He had hoped it would all end when they got to the prison, but much to his dismay, he had the good fortune to be bunked with the little nuisance, not before an annoying speech from the warden of course.

Now he was walking through the rec center, playing nice with Jr. in the hopes that it would pay off alter on.

"Stick with me cell mate, I'll show you the ropes!" The teen boasted, while Jackson resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Oh, who you kidding? You ain't been in Belle Rev before, you're liable to get me hanged with them ropes!"

Jr. _did_ roll his eyes, "I may have never been incarcerated here Tommy, but trust me, I know whereof I speak. For starters," he gestured to a group by the bleachers, "we pay homage to the top of the food chain, the big dog, the prison… capo… my father is laughing?"

Jackson looked closer at the group to see what he was talking about. The group consisted of Icicle Sr. at the center, with Freeze and Captain cold on both sides, while they were flanked by Mammoth and Killer Croc, the two seemingly playing body guards.

The three ice villains were indeed laughing, because of the words of the one sitting a few rows below them: Percy.

Jackson and Jr. wordlessly walked forward to hear what they were talking about, and quickly regretted it.

Percy was chuckling as he spoke, "I still don't know how Perses got Khione down there, but it doesn't matter. The things he did with her ice… I still have nightmares."

How he said that while laughing was beyond Jackson and became even more mystifying as he began to describe one of the torture methods she used: "So first she froze a part of my body solid, before breaking it off, and breaking it into small chunks in front of me. then she would leave me in a pile of my own frozen body parts, completely naked, until I was near death from hypothermia. Now they had a magical healer to bring me back, so I wouldn't recommend going that far unless you want the person on permanent ice."

Sr. laughed loudly at this "I will keep that in mind. You know I've never been religious, but for a goddess like that… well I might just convert."

That was met with cheers of approval from Captain Cold, and a huff from Freeze, no doubt as he still held a candle for his frozen wife.

Jackson and Jr. were speechless for a few more moments, before Jr. shrugged, "Whatever, let's just go talk to –oof!" He was cut off as someone tackled him from behind by Professor Ojo. "Hello Jr.! I had warned you what would happen next time we crossed paths!"

Jr. immediately tried talking his way out while Jackson hesitated for a moment, before sighing and pulling the older man off, punching him away as he did so.

This proved to be a mistake as suddenly he was surrounded by convicts, all taking a turn at him and Jr. without his strength he found himself quickly outmatched, much to his annoyance, and could only grit his teeth and take it before a familiar voice called out, "Enough!"

Jackson watched in fascination as all his attackers froze, then moved away slowly, revealing a frowning Percy standing before them .

One of them, a large, muscular, rather reddish looking man growled out, "Don't tell me you're trying to _save_ them."

He flinched as Percy looked his way, "Save? Well kind of, you do realize that's the capos son right? I mean granted he wouldn't lift a finger to save him, but if you actually did kill him what do you think would happen then?"

The villains all paled at the thought as Percy grabbed Jr. and yanked him to his feet, much to his chagrin, though he didn't have any luck at resisting him.

Jackson waited for him to walk towards him as well, for surely he recognized him, but when he didn't, the one to voice his confusion was actually one of the convicts. "What about Terror here?"

Percy looked back, looked him right in the eye, and for a moment Jackson felt hope as a flicker of familiarity appeared in his eyes.

"I don't care, go nuts."

 **Later**

Jackson Kent was about to lose his mind.

It was bad enough that he had to go through a fucking therapy session with M'gann, while impersonating the twins, and that M'gann deemed it necessary to try to uncover his own insecurities, but the fact that he did so while covered in cuts and bruises really was the icing on the cake. That's not even mentioning the psychic conversation they held before and afterwards.

After Jackson had been thrown back into his cell, he was immediately contacted by a frantic M'gann, " _Jackson are you okay?"_

He rolled his eyes before answering. " _Well I was just beat within an inch of my life so… yeah doing just fine._

" _Sorry dude, I had to maintain my cover."_

Jackson bristled at the familiar mental voice, but before he could say anything. M'gann beat him to it, " _What the Hell Percy?! You better give us a good explanation right now, or so help me I will reach into your mind and extract it for myself!"_

Jackson blinked in surprise. He had never heard M'gann get so assertive before, and especially not towards Percy, the most intimidating member of the team.

"… _Like I said Miss M, I had to maintain my cover. 'Jackson' is tough. We all know that, he will be fine."_ Before M'gann could retort he continued, " _Now do you mind explaining to me what the hell you two are doing here? Why today of all days?"_

Jackson frowned at that last part, but answered anyways, " _The League got a bit antsy when you broke Riddler's face. They figured today was when it was going down, whatever it is, and sent us in to assist you, as well as make sure you aren't reverting to bad habits."_

M'gann chimed in, " _We don't think that will happen, but… well you know how paranoid Batman is."_

" _I understand. Listen, they were right that it's going down today. I've already figured out their plans and have a plan to insure it doesn't work. All I have to do now is make sure it goes smoothly and help with any potential cleanup."_

" _How did you do that?"_ M'gann asked curiously.

" _Well…"_

 **Several days earlier**

Percy listened carefully to his bunkmates hissing as it slowed and steadied, before determining that he was in fact asleep. Wary of the cameras everywhere, he hid himself under his blanket and reverted his body to water, carefully maintaining form as he shifted his pillow to take his place, before leaking behind the bed and spreading thin so as to blend into the wall and floor, before sliming around the room, staying out of the camera as much as possible, before slipping through a vent.

The prison had called in an "expert" to help set up his magic collar, i.e. Giovanni Zatara. As it was, it did subdue his magic power and physical strength, (not that it made much difference to him) but it did not stop him from using his powers.

From his room he made his way through the ventilation system, checking on various cells surrounding him before heading for Sr.

He reached the prison Capo just in time to see a small slip of paper fly through the vets. When he looked in he saw Sr. sitting nonchalantly on his bed. Percy wondered how he managed to get it up in the vent without seeming suspicious from the camera but was broken out of his wondering by the sound of someone making their way through the vents.

He quickly flattened himself to the floor and walls of the vent, before watching as a figure rounded a corner in the vents, and if he had actual eyes at the moment, he would be rolling them.

Of course it was Cheshire who picked up the note and quickly turned and crawled back the way she came. Percy silently cursed himself for not reading it before she arrived. He followed her silently as she crawled to the women's side of the prison, before stopping over the vent of what he later found was Killer Frost's cell.

Her job apparently done, he followed her back to her own cell, which he found to be empty except for her. He was beginning to wonder how she could have fit through the small vent in the cell, only to watch in absolute awe as she performed a graceful, yet slightly disturbing feat of flexibility that would make any contortionist jealous.

He followed her in right as she was fiddling with a device that he assumed had something to do with why she wasn't worried about the camera watching her. before she pressed the button however, he reformed on the bunk above her, in a lounging position. She still didn't notice until she spoke up, "You might want to hold off on that."

He struggled not to laugh as she jumped three feet in the air with a yelp, reminiscent of a startled cat hissing in surprise before running to the other side of the room and quickly held her hands up in defense, before looking even more surprised at who it was. "Perseus? What are you… Oh for fucks sake you _are_ still a hero?"

Percy smirked, "And you're still doing missions it seems. Let me guess: you're here to assist in whatever evil scheme is going on here right?"

The assassin rolled her eyes and gradually relaxed her stance, "And you're here to stop me right? Well shit. Let me guess, the whole 'chopped Kid Flash's hands off' thing is a made-up story from the league?"

Percy grimaced, "Sadly no. I just wasn't in my right mind at the time it happened, and we used the situation to get me in here."

Jade raised an eyebrow, "That sounds like a story worth hearing."

Percy shrugged, "Maybe. Tell you what: you tell me the plan you guys are cooking up, and I tell you why I maimed my teammate. Deal?"

Jade sighed, "You're out of luck _my_ _lord_. I'm just the messenger girl for this one. I don't actually know anything about the grand scheme.

Percy hummed thoughtfully, "In that case, what's to stop me from reporting to the league and getting you shipped out of here?"

Jade rolled her eyes, "Nothing I suppose. But it won't change much. The plan is already in place. It will still go on without me.

Percy closed his eyes thoughtfully, "I see… I guess I'll just go send the message then. See ya." He made to get up as her eyes widened.

"Wait!" the assassin snapped, eye twitching in annoyance as the former demigod had called her bluff, "You can't.

Percy smirked, "Why not?" In his mind he knew why not: his cover was too deep. Any form of communication with the league would blow it for sure if he was caught, and he was never a master of subtlety.

Cheshire glared, "Thanks to _you_ I'm currently on thin ice with the Shadows. Failing a mission is one thing, it happens to the best occasionally, but being _captured_? That is unacceptable. They managed to swing it to their advantage this time, but if I fail here… I won't get a second chance."

Percy considered this calmly, "Why don't you just leave them then?"

She snorted, "There is no leaving them, they'll find me, no matter where I go."

"Okay, sure, but what if you were somewhere they wouldn't dare go?"

Cheshire looked at him curiously only to see a meaningful grin on his face, "What are you… oh no. No! You are not putting me in tights, that's not for me."

Percy shrugged, "Tights are not really necessary, but come on, you have a choice here: be free to do as you please at the cost of looking over your shoulder ever ten seconds, or knowing someone will have your back at the cost of having to fight on the hero side. You're not evil Jade, but you are selfish—"

"Hey—"

"And joining the heroes will be in your best interest. So what do you say? I can't let you succeed in this mission."

Jade glared at him for a few more moments before groaning, "Fine! Have it your way. But if someone's gonna have my back I want it to be you or Artemis."

Percy blinked, "I get your sister, but why would you trust me that—"

"It's not about trust _Percy,"_ Cheshire purred out, suddenly giving out an entirely different vibe as she stalked toward him, "It's about ability. I know what my sister can do, I trained with her, so I know there's very little chance of a knife in my back with her there to deflect it, she may even take it herself, we don't get along but we're still sisters. You on the other hand…" as she talked she approached the bed Percy was lounging on, her gait ever so sultry, causing him to sit up and look her in the eye uncertainly, "You're different. You're new. You're _powerful_. And from the looks of it, your power is still growing. I want that on my side." She leaned in, pressing her hands on the bed on either side of his hips while putting her face inches from his. Despite her being in an orange jumpsuit, the action was unbelievably alluring. "And I suppose… there may be _other_ things I want from you,"

With a gulp, Percy found himself going liquid and slipping underneath her, reforming behind her, causing her to giggle and turn to face him, "I'm sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?"

Percy cleared is throat as he regained his composure, though reforming with a clear view of her bent over form was maybe not the best idea, "It-it's fine. But we should focus. If you really are in, then we should discuss the breakout, and what your role is in it."

The assassin rolled her eyes, but didn't lose her smirk, "Fine. So far I have been a glorified messenger girl for leaders of the boys' and girls' wings: Sr. and Killer Frost. When things go down, I will be just a bit more muscle."

Percy nodded, "And I assume you've been sneaking peeks at the notes your passing?"

Cheshire scoffed, "Of course! I'm not an idiot. Knowledge is power after all. The main gist of the plan is the ice villains are going to freeze the weakest part of the wall leading outside and use the muscle brains to smash through while it's weakened. Not a bad plan really. There's a lot of other parts but we can go over them in time.

Percy nodded before asking, "Can you show me where the weak point is?"

Cheshire smiled mischievously before moving to the vent. Percy never really would figure out how she fit through, except that it involved a lot of advanced acrobatics and stretches that he didn't know were possible in either man or woman. It left him with a jaw dropped until she called down, "You coming?"

He came to his senses and turned liquid again, flowing into the vent, and, accidentally, flowing over Cheshire's body in the process as it was in the way. He had done something similar to superman so didn't think much of it until he heard a restrained gasp from her. he reformed ahead of her and looked at her with concern, "You alright?"

She looked at him with a flushed face, though it was stern, "Don't do that again."

"But I—"

"Don't!" She hissed, before crawling past him, the small space causing her to have to rub her lithe body against his, whispering in his ear as she passed: "Unless I ask you to."

That began several days of collaboration between the two prisoners. During this time, Percy learned everything he could of the villains' plan to escape and devised a simple one to counteract it when the time came. He had wanted to report his findings to the league right away, but Cheshire assured him that if he did, and the plans were stopped before they began, the Shadows would know she betrayed them, and take her out before he could figure out how to get her out of the prison legally.

He also found himself growing closer with Killer Croc, strangely enough. The man was vastly misunderstood, and bitter, something he could somewhat relate to. He couldn't risk telling Croc his plans, but he had a feeling that when the time came, he could sway the overgrown reptile to his side.

Most interesting however, were the occasional advances from Cheshire. At first, he figures she was just keeping him off guard, as she was known to do, but it soon became clear as more than that. Of course, her interest wasn't emotional in the least, she didn't want to go steady or something, but something about him seemed to, for lack of a better phrase, turn her on.

From what he could tell, the attraction was mostly to his power, which got him wondering if this was related to his supposed godhood. If so, the gods constant relations with mortals were beginning to make more sense.

That aside, Percy's time in prison was going surprisingly well. Until, that is, he started hanging out with Sr. and his gang.

If the gruesome and despicable stories they shared about their own criminal life weren't enough, the stories they coaxed out of Percy were enough to do it. In order to gain an edge, he found himself digging into his memory of over a century of torture, sharing these experiences with the villains, in the guise of "giving each other pointers". He never even touched on the worst of them, but he still swore to himself he would make sure this group never got out with the knowledge he gave them.

The worst part however, was that since the inhibitor collars monitored the prisoner's vitals, he was forced to sleep every night, lest they have guards posted outside his cell all night. And of course, with sleep, came nightmares, reliving past tortures with the villains did nothing to help that.

It was one such night when he was supposed to be going on recon with Cheshire to find out which guard was helping the villains in the escape. In the long run it might not be important, but Percy didn't want the guy doing it again.

Unfortunately, he had to wait for Cheshire, as his pillow trick would only work so many times, and she had the tech to set his camera on a loop.

He was sweat profusely when she arrived, tossing and turning in his sleep with gritted teeth, yet he didn't utter a sound. Normally such a sight would mean nothing to Cheshire, but word of Percy's past had spread through the prison, and she found herself curious to see how much was true.

After looping the camera, she quietly made her way to his bedside, staring at his distraught form with interest. She noticed his uniform was opened slightly, and gently reached over and pulled it back.

Her eyes widened at the sight of his scars. She found herself reaching out to touch one when a hand grabbed her arm with a snap. Her eyes met the slightly crazed ones of Percy. "What are you doing?"

She ignored his question, "So it's true then? You really were in Hell?"

He shoved her hand away, though not as angrily as she expected, "That's one name for it."

He began to sit up, "Well let's get going.

"Oh no." Cheshire chuckled, "You really think I'm letting you go out now?"

He looked at her irritably. "What? I'm fine.

She chuckled, "Sure you are. Do me a favor and look at your hands."

He glanced down and noticed his hands trembling slightly. He grimaced and a moment later they stopped completely, surprising Cheshire, as it was clear he had done that with nothing but sheer willpower. "There, all better.

She narrowed her eyes, before lighting up with mischief, "You know… back in the shadows, every assassin has a way to deal with the things we see, the things we do on a regular basis. We're professionals but we're still human. Do you want to know one of my favorites?"

Percy leaned back as she began tracing her hand up and down his thigh, "Uhhh… not really?"

Cheshire giggled, "Oh don't be like that. Come on, we're both adults here, you several times over if I've heard correctly…"

Percy tried to stand up, but with practiced grace befitting her occupation, he found Jade straddling his waist, pushing him down. "Come on, what's the matter? Don't tell me your saving yourself for marriage or something?"

Percy gulped, now thoroughly out of his depth, "Well no but uh..." He trailed off as Jade started running her fingers up and down his chest and abs hungrily.

She hummed for him to go on, "But what?"

"I haven't actually… ever…"

He didn't need to finish, as Jade went stock still. In a calm, quiet voice, she spoke, "You must be joking. aren't you like a century old?"

Percy cleared his throat, "Something like that, but I… what's so funny?"

The assassin was now giggling uncontrollably, "A century old virgin?! Come on, how is that not funny?"

He found irritation rise up in his chest, pushing her off of him, causing her to yelp, "Yeah well I was only 17 when I was thrown into Tartarus, and there isn't exactly a lot of opportunities to get lucky when you're being tortured 24/7!"

The giggling had stopped, and now a guilty look had fallen on Cheshire's face, "Sorry, I guess that makes sense… let me make it up to you?"

Percy looked at her suspiciously, "Why are you so set on this?"

Cheshire frowned, "Why are you so against it? It's just sex! What you think I'm a whore for having a healthy sexual appetite?"

Percy raised his hands defensively, much to her amusement, "I did not say that. Hades I can't even say that word, I'm related to _Zeus_ after all. Really no one in my family are good at keeping it in their pants but…. Why are you set on me? Just because I'm powerful or something"

Cheshire stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes so far back he wondered if she were fainting, "Dear god man. Have you seen yourself?"

Percy glanced down at his scarred chest peeking through his jumpsuit. "That just reinforces my point doesn't it?"

Cheshire smirked at him, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that women like scars? Granted not all of them may able to handle yours but that's why I'm special."

 _Your special alright_ almost came out of Percy's mouth, but he held it back for fear it would be taken the wrong way. "Alright well... I still don't think this is a good idea…"

Jade deadpanned, "Really? You've spent a century without sex and you're turning down your first chance? Don't tell me you're gay or something…"

Percy frowned, "Not that I know of."

"So I'm just not hot enough huh?"

The god jumped at that, "What? No! that's _so_ not what I…" he trailed off at the sight of her smirk, "Look, Jade, I'm grateful and flattered and all of that, but… it just feels wrong…"

Jade frowned as he looked away awkwardly. She hadn't actually planned on having sex with the guy that night, but now that he was playing hard to get she felt like she had been issued a challenge. She'd rarely been rejected in such a way. Granted she wasn't so naïve as to think it impossible, but it still felt annoying.

Thinking for a moment she smirked again, reaching out to caress his cheek, "Don't you want to stick it to all those people who had you locked up? They took years of your life from you, now you can start taking it—"

She was cut off as his arm shot out, her arm was now caught in a vice, "Don't try to manipulate me Cheshire, I guarantee it will not end well for you."

He turned to look at her, his steely gaze meeting her worried eyes. Jade considered dropping the subject then and there, but instead found a new approach in his eyes, a genuine one, which surprised even her.

"You're hurting Perseus, "She spoke softly, "I can see it, all that pain locked in your eyes. I used to do the same, Artemis does it to, but you, you hold so much that I'm surprised you haven't exploded yet."

Percy winced as he remembered his rather "explosive" outbursts.

Jade continued, "You need a release, so to speak. I don't know why you haven't found it yet, but I'm offering a simple one for you right here. It's not wrong, it's human. Endorphins. Sure you can pin a whole lot more to it, but at the end of the day the only one who can do that is you and me, and I'm not planning on it.

Percy Looked uncertain now, so she went in for the clincher, "Look the truth is I need this too. Being imprisoned and knowing your boss can kill you at any moment isn't exactly stress free.

That did it. Percy sighed before slowly nodding, "I guess…. It won't hurt anyone."

Jade smiled, "That's the spirit. Now, Mr. virgin, surely you have some idea of how to go about this? I'd rather not work from scratch…."

Percy considered that for a moment, before suddenly it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.

He held his hand up, pointing one finger in the air and concentrated. He wasn't sure if what he was trying to do was even possible, which was why he was as surprised as Cheshire when his finger started vibrating rapidly with earthquake power.

He turned to the girl, feeling a bit more confident as he looked at er, "Think I could do something with this?"

A grin grew on her face large enough to rival her namesakes, "Oh yes. I think _that_ has a lot of potential."

 **Present Day**

Of course Percy didn't mention that last part to Jackson and M'gann. It wasn't their business after all.

He waited till after their therapy session to continue, " _The breakout will happen soon,"_ Percy explained over the mental link, _"The ice villains should be getting a shipment of their tech later today and will use it to fight their way into the control room and deactivate the collars. I can't prevent this without blowing my cover early, so I will focus on preventing Casualties while Cheshire sneaks into the control room to reactivate the collars. Since you two are here, you can help me with that."_

Percy sighed and leaned his head against the wall of his cell, watching idly as Waylon did his daily pushups. All that bulk wasn't from his mutation it seemed. " _Now that that's out of the way… how's Wally?"_

There was a silence for a moment before M'gann answered, " _We haven't seen him since the accident, but Artemis has. It's… not good."_

Percy winced, but shook his head, _"I didn't really expect anything more. Any breakthroughs on treatment?"_

" _No."_ Jackson responded gruffly, " _The League said their working on Prosthetic designs, but I have a feeling that our resident cyclops will top whatever they come up with. He's been working nonstop after… oh yeah we got a new teammate."_

Percy raised an eyebrow, " _Oh? How did that happen? When?"_

M'gann chuckled nervously, " _Well…"_

 **Several days earlier**

The group of super teens gave Caroline, the owner of Puzzles, their thanks before leaving her restaurant. The Gordonians were still patrolling for Koriand'r on the ground and in the skies, leaving them little room to hide. Luckily however, hiding wasn't the plan.

A group of patrolling Gordonians were harassing a few terrified New Yorkers, when several shadows fell across them.

They looked up to see the group hovering above them: Raven, Kara, M'gann, Kori, Tyson, and Jackson, who was hovering with the aid of M'gann's telekinesis.

M'gann spoke up with a smile, "Hi! This may be backwards but could you take us to your leader?"

When the first group refused to comply, the group simply beat them unconscious and secured them deep in central park until they could decide what to do with them. This continued with a few more groups until the aliens realized that things weren't going well. The next group, having heard what happened to the others over their radio presumably, quickly offered to bring them to the ship.

The ride up was a bit awkward, with a few glares at Kori that were quickly silenced by a disturbingly bestial growl from Tyson, that shut the all up. When the others looked at him curiously, he blushed brightly and said, "Sorry… it just came out…"

They arrived on the mother ship to be greeted by a much larger gordonian, who looked down on them with utter hatred.

He spoke in a gruff, rumbling voice that reeked contempt, "Earthlings! Have you finally come to your senses and decided to hand over the prisoner?"

Jackson stepped up to speak, but was beaten to the punch, "Hey, just because we're currently on Earth does _not_ make us earthlings!"

Jackson slowly turned to look at Kara with utter disbelief and irritation. The huffy Kryptonian seemed to get the message, much to his surprise, and lowered her aggressive stance and backed away for him, whispering, "Sorry."

With a heavy sigh, Jackson started, "Here's the deal. We _Earthlings_ don't take too kindly to things like kidnapping, or slavery, or… I don't know… blowing up planets! So as of now, we will be taking Kara off your hands, as well "

The giant Gordonian stared at him for a moment, before breaking out in a bellowing laugh, joined shortly by the other Gordonians surrounding the group.

When he finally settled down, the leader of the aliens looked down at Jackson, looking very amused. "You come on to _my_ ship, allow yourself to be surrounded by my men, and _then_ start making demands? What exactly is your plan?"

Jackson shrugged, "I figured we'd just punch you all until you agree."

That earned another round of laughter, that was not shared by the few gordonian squads who had already encountered the heroes.

The leader's laugher stopped abruptly as he glared down and ordered his men, "Kill them."

Jackson smirked, then launched himself forward.

He tackled the oversized alien, slamming him into a control console, causing parts and sparks to fly. While they wrestled, the other heroes started tearing through the soldiers with relative ease.

Jackson could tell that he was a great deal stronger than his opponent, but to his annoyance, he once again was faced with the problem of his opponent being far more skilled than him. The alien seemed to be using some form of martial art, reminiscent of judo, to throw Jackson around, which was easy do to his smaller size.

Jackson's mind raced as he charged towards his opponent again. He knew he would just get thrown again, but he needed time to think of a new strategy, and he couldn't just stand there thinking about it while his enemy pummeled him.

 _What would Percy do?_

By the time his enemy had thrown him into another wall, he had come up with a semblance of a plan.

As he charged again, he kept his eyes on his opponents' arms, waiting for them to lash out. once they did, he tapped into his natural speed and easily dodged under, throwing himself at the gordonians right leg. After knocking his legs out from under hm. He still had a firm grasp on the creature and began spinning him around, ignoring the curses and protests. Once he had nearly reached enough speed to create a tornado like Wally, he released.

He put the leader through the wall.

The other heroes, having just finished the last of the soldiers, all peered through the hole at the groaning leader with interest.

"...that WAS AWESOME!" Tyson exclaimed, clapping Jackson on the back hard enough to make him wince, though he tried to hide it as he was swarmed by the others.

Kara smiled as well, "Seriously though! I thought you were just the "punch it till it stops moving" type. No offence."

Jackson suppressed a scowl, "I'm trying something new."

"It was very impressive Jackson!" M'gann said with a genuine smile.

"It was quite an efficient takedown." Raven stated in her usual monotone.

Jackson was starting to get uncomfortable with all the attention. "Look it's not a big deal! I just took down the bad guy, that's kind of our job."

Kori stepped forward with wide eyes, "That is untrue friend-Jackson! That was general Korgram! He had a pivotal role in the fall of Tameran, including the defeat of my own father. To take him down so quickly is exactly as Friend-Tyson said, full of awe."

Jackson blinked, "Oh uh… thanks?"

Before the girl could respond, a loud explosion sounded somewhere else in the ship, knocking the few heroes not hovering off balance.

A moment later a red and blue blur shot up from the floor, leaving a sparking hole in its wake. "You all have five seconds to explain what your intentions are for… earth."

A hovering Superman trailed off as he surveyed the scene of the control room the battle had occurred in. eventually his eyes landed on the teen supers, and his eyes narrowed, "What are you all doing here?"

Kara huffed and refused to meet her cousin's eye, M'gann and Tyson both looked too Nervous to speak, while Raven pulled her hood closer over her head, edging towards the shadows a bit. Kori just looked confused.

Jackson on the other hand, felt nothing but anger. He started walking towards his DNA source, intent on getting right up in his face, but settling for close, as the Kryptonian was hovering above him. "Our jobs! What does it look like?"

Superman seemed taken aback at the open hostility for a moment before regaining his composure. "It looks like you kids just took on an alien invasion without even _contacting_ the League about it first. What on earth were you thinking?"

Jackson was about to tell him exactly what he was thinking, but then realized the answer. Contacting the League would have been the smartest thing to do, but instead they handled it themselves. One might see that as a bit arrogant. However, there was no way Jackson was going to admit that.

"We got the job done, didn't we?" He growled back, gesturing to the fallen aliens.

"You might have just started declared war on this species in Earths name!"

Before Jackson could yell back again, Kori stepped forward. "If I may, Friend-Jackson… may not have put much thought into his actions, but they were well intentioned, efficient, and successful. Also, I can assure you that the Gordonians will not start another war so soon after the last one…"

Superman took a deep, steadying breath, before smiling at her. "Thank you. Sorry but, who might you be?"

Kori stood up straighter, "I am Koriand'r, rightful princess of Tameran. Judging by your features, might I be correct in assuming you are Friend-Jacksons fa-"

"No." Jackson stated quickly.

"Well—" Superman began.

" _No."_ Jackson stated with more force.

Superman didn't seem to react, Instead scrunching his face up in sudden confusion, "Wait, Jackson?"

Jackson tensed up. "Yeah, that's my name now. Jackson Kent. Got a problem?"

For a moment it looked like there would be a problem, but much to everyone else's relief, the conversation was cut short by the arrival of the rest of the League.

The rest of the day was kind of a blur for Jackson, The League pretty much took over the situation, dismantling the ship's "planet destroying" weapon. Jackson still wasn't convinced that that was for real, but it didn't matter. The League sent the Gordonians on their way with a message of peace from earth, as well as a warning from the Justice League: this planet is protected.

They also talked extensively with Kori, getting the full story of her arrival, and eventually agreeing to offer her asylum on Earth, which made Jackson scoff. Who were they to deny it to her? Half of them were aliens as well.

Much to no one's surprise, the teen princess was given a room in the Mountain. She expressed great interest in "serving her new home however she could". She was now the newest member of the Team.

Jackson was fine with that, but he found himself a bit uncomfortable after they all settled down back at the cave. He was in the middle of a solo workout in the Gym, as Tyson was working on the Stables. Usually he would be with him, but even Tyson needs alone time, and Jackson definitely does.

He was proud to see that he had increased his weight limit to 700,000 tons, instead of his usual 500,000. He was trembling as he lifted it back up but knew he would be fine.

"Oh! Hold on let me help you with that!" a newly familiar voice sounded

In the next instant, a pair of slender, orange hands grabbed the barbell with him. He glanced up to see Kori, a look of intense exertion on her face as she struggled to help him. To be fair, he did find the weight lessen for him, and quickly got it on the stand, before sitting up.

His first instinct was to get irritated at the Tameranian, and insist that he had that., but he squashed that instinct down with a vengeance. She was just trying to help.

He turned to say thanks but stopped as he saw her leaning on the weights, panting and staring at the weight in confusion. "You alright?"

She gulped in a breath of air before answering, "Yes, thank you."

"No problem. thanks for the help. I would have gotten it eventually, but you didn't know that, so thanks."

She looked up even more bewildered. "How? I've never felt so much weight! How much does this weigh anyway?"

He told her and she took a moment to figure out the conversion from tons to her home worlds weight classification system. When she was done she looked at him in awe. "That is most awesome! How do you lift such weights?"

Jackson rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, well my Kryptonian physiology makes me stronger. I absorb energy from the sun to gain power. Other Kryptonians like Kara can use it better though, they're stronger, and can fly along with a lot of other things… but that's not important."

Kori frowned as she studied the clone, "Why can't you do it." At the look on his face she covered her mouth in horror, "Many apologies! I did not mean the offense, I was just curious. It seems to bother you…"

He sighed, "Long story short, I'm a clone. I was grown from Superman's DNA in a test tube. Unfortunately something went wrong in the cloning process, so I don't have full Kryptonian powers. I only woke up recently, I'm technically not even a Year old.

That made the newcomer quiet for a moment as she mulled that over. Eventually she said, "My species absorbs what you call Ultraviolet radiation to sustain us and give us our powers, so you could say we are similar to Kryptonians. However, I have a sister with a rare defect. She is unable to fly as the rest of our kind do. However, she does not let it stop her! She is still a mighty warrior, much more so than I… I've always looked up to her." She looked to Jackson with a smile, "You remind me of her."

Jackson felt a flush of heat to his face, "Uh… thank you…"

The Tameranian smiled at him for a moment more before a look of realization came over her. "That's actually what I wanted to say to you. Thank you for what you did for me, despite our first meeting."

Jackson shifted uncomfortably, "You know I was only a small part of that right? The others did a lot—"

"And I've already thanked them for their part." She assured him in an amused tone, "But you were the one who called them and led them into the fight. Not many males I know find it easy to admit when they need help."

That made him frown. "I didn't really _need_ help. I just figured it would be less of a pain with…" he trailed off as the princess filled the gym with melodious laughter.

She patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "I will keep that in mind Friend-Jackson.

He grumbled a bit before speaking up, "You know, no one on earth talks like that. If someone's your friend you just say their name."

The girl blinked, "Oh. My apologies. My language absorption may be powerful but some things still slip through…"

Jackson raised an eyebrow, "Language absorption?"

She nodded, "It is how I am able to speak your English. I absorbed it from you when we were fighting."

Jackson thought back to their fight, and went a bit pink as he realized what she was talking about, "Oh, right… the kiss."

At that, Kori had the generosity to look embarrassed as well. "Yes… that. I'm sorry for doing that out of nowhere, but it is the quickest way to absorb languages. Of course, it would have been quicker if you didn't know so many. I must say I am impressed, for only being awake less than a year."

He blushed while rubbing the back of his head. "Uh… that's not what happened. Those languages were psychically implanted into my mind while I was still sleeping.

She looked at him with interest, "I see… that sounds very convenient."

Jackson's eye twitched. "Yeah. I'm real lucky aren't I?"

Koriand'r's small eyebrows rose at his slightly hostile tone, "Is something wrong? I did not mean to offend—"

"I'm fine." Jackson almost spat while standing up, "I'm just a bit tired. I think I'll head back to my room for the night."

With that he walked off, leaving a very confused Kori. "Oh…. Well…. Good night!"

 **Present**

Jackson felt a twang of guilt as he remembered how he lashed out at the girl. In hindsight, he knew she meant nothing by it, but he still didn't like his potential brainwashing being described as "convenient".

" _Interesting."_ Percy commented over the psychic link. " _I look forward to meeting her. Alright, now that we're done playing catch up, let's get ready for the break out. which will begin in three…"_

" _Wait what?"_ M'gann exclaimed in confusion

" _Two…"_

Jackson got irritated, " _You can't just—"_

" _One!"_

Alarms started blaring as the collars all deactivated at once. Jackson and M'gann had long since returned to their respective cells, and now began joining the other criminals as they stormed out of the cells. M'gann noticed as she passed that Jade's cell was already empty.

Jackson, much to his chagrin, was conscripted by Icicle Sr. to help Mammoth in punching through the outer wall. He was annoyed but went with it, if only because he was in eyesight of the prison staff, which the prisoners had locked up across the room.

As Jackson hammered away with Mammoth, Percy nodded to Icicle Sr. and walked over to Jr., "Come on shrimp, let's go. We're busting the ladies out."

Jr. flinched at the contact, thinking of what he'd heard of the guy, but tried to sound upbeat, "S-sure thing! Does that mean you're a strength type as well?"

Percy smirked while closing a fist and channeling earthquake energy through it, "Something like that."

Jade was already halfway to the control room, but the crawl through the vents had to have been the longest in her life. She was wondering if Percy would pull through. the guy claimed he could get her out of jail time as long as she worked with his team, though now she was trying to figure out how he planned to do that. Did he even have the ability to make it happen? Would he be able to protect her from the shadows?

Then again, did she really want to betray him? Considering that he had already dismembered a teammate on accident, she didn't want to see what happened when he was really pissed off. The man was scary… and sexy. That night they shared together was still ingrained in her mind. Percy was gifted in more ways than one, and he was a quick learner, despite his claims of ADHD and dyslexia as a child. If going with him meant a chance of more nights like that…

She found herself crawling towards her destination at a much faster pace.

M'gann was not having a good time.

It was hard enough watching the prison guard getting kicked around before getting locked up. Those would hurt in the morning but they wouldn't be fatal. She kept reminding herself of that as she struggled to maintain her cover, until Killer Frost pulled one woman aside, claiming she wanted to have a little "fun" while they awaiting the guys to break through.

Frost was about to bring down an ice mace on the poor woman when she shattered it with her telekinesis.

She gritted her teeth as all the villainesses turned on her with glares.

" _Guys! I think my cover was just blown! I—AAGH!"_

" _M'gann!"_ Jackson exclaimed.

" _Keep your cover!_ " Percy ordered the younger hero. He was around halfway through with the wall, " _I'm almost to her, you make sure the staff isn't hurt."_

Jackson frowned but did as he was told, and soon he was grateful he did. Brick, the red skinned villain, had Amanda Waller by the throat. He sighed and went to talk him down.

Percy looked at the half broken wall with annoyance, before charging his fist up with as much energy as he could, before unleashing the most powerful strike he could muster, screaming in the process. The wall didn't stand a chance.

Jr. blinked in awe as the dust settled, "Dude… that was AWESOME!"

Percy ignored him and walked through, only to be met with the sight of a Frozen Tuppence Terror, AKA M'gann, along with three villainesses: Shimmer, some burly tattooed lady he didn't know, and Killer Frost.

As Percy Walked towards the ice, Jr. followed him through, "Aloha chick central! If you just step right this way you can…" he trailed off as he noticed M'gann, "Woah what the heck? What'd you do that for?!"

Killer frost scowled, "This bitch isn't who she says she is. She tried to stop me from icing a guard, with her mind."

Jr. looked conflicted for a moment before sighing in dejection, "What a shame, she was such the total babe!"

Percy had his hand on the ice, studying it silently, thinking of a solution. Ice was frozen water. Water was his thing wasn't it?

Frost glanced at him with interest. "Well if it isn't Mr. Immortal. I've heard good things about you from Sr. Maybe when we get out of here, you can tell me about this so called "snow goddess" of yours, as if that title is suited for anyone other… than… me…"

She trailed off as the ice started melting around M'gann, from where his hand touched the ice." Hey what are you doing? I told you she's a traitor!"

He ignored her and focused on thawing his teammate. He was halfway through when a blast of ice froze his arm, sending surprisingly white-hot pain through his body.

Killer Frost glared at him as her hand smoked like liquid nitrogen, "I don't know how you're doing that, or why, but you're going to stop _now_."

Still silent, Percy narrowed his eyes at her, and willed the ice on his arm to disperse, like he did when people around him got wet. He then went back to thawing out M'gann.

Frost snarled and looked at the stunned Jr. "What are you standing around for? Help me stop him!"

Jr. gulped as he looked at the raven-haired teen, "I don't know if—"

"Oh for Christ sake!" Frost exclaimed, "Don't tell me you've got cold feet! No wonder your daddy can't stand you!"

With that Jr. was properly incensed, and started blasting Percy wit Frost, causing her to smirk. Unfortunately, instead of capturing the god in ice, the streams of cold seemed to dissipate before it even reached him. M'gann was halfway out, but still unconscious.

With a growl, Frost stopped blasting him and turned to the girls beside her, "This isn't working. Devastation, you're up!"

The woman grinned savagely and lunged at Percy, only to get tackled midair by something big, green, and scaly.

"What are you doing!" Waylon hissed after he and Devastation were on their feet.

Frost's eye twitched at the new interruption, "God-boy over here is switching sides!"

Waylon turned to look at Percy, who was now holding the unconscious, but unfrozen and unharmed M'gann, still in Terror form. "Is that true Percy?"

Percy looked up at his cell mate, and shrugged, "Once a hero, always a hero. You gonna try and stop me?"

A series of hissing noises gave Frost hope that the mutant was about to attack, until she realized the truth: Killer Croc was laughing.

"No way kid, I ain't that stupid. Tell you what, if I help, you think you can get me a reduced sentence?"

Percy smirked, "I can do more than that."

Waylon grinned, baring his sharp teeth as he turned to Killer frost and the others, "I was getting tired of being the bad guy anyways."

Before anyone could attack however, the women all screamed as their collars electrocuted them, unlike, some they had not had the sense to remove them when they were deactivated.

All over the prison, prisoners were being knocked unconscious by their collars, while the ones who had taken them off were getting swiftly knocked out by Either Jade or Jackson.

When M'gann came to, she was greeted by the sight of Percy staring down at her with concern, while Killer Croc punched Jr. unconscious in the background.

She got up to defend herself, but a comforting hand from Percy pushed her back down, "Relax. He's a friend."

She blinked, still a bit fuzzy, "Percy… why are you friends with a supervillain?"

Percy smiled down at her mischievously, "Why not?"

 **Later**

The cleanup was mind numbingly tedious, but Percy managed to get through it in the end. The prisoners were rounded up, the Justice League, debriefed him, and he was released from prison, though not before a long lecture form the League.

Despite the fact that no one was killed, a few guards were left pretty bruised, something thee League believed he could have avoided if he had reported his findings sooner.

That led to a lengthy discussion on his promise to Jade, and to a lesser extent Waylon. Batman in particular was overtly against letting them out of prison, but Percy met his bat-glare without faltering yet again, something that irked the dark knight to no end.

Eventually there was a compromise: Killer Croc and Cheshire would be under Percy's supervision, but will be constantly monitored by the league through custom inhibitor collars. Batman only relented to this when Percy described their side switch as: unorthodox community service.

Convincing the Legal system to go along with this was pathetically easy. Percy suspected the judge was elated at the idea of two less hyper-dangerous criminals his guards would have to worry about.

He escorted them to them Mountain personally, but left soon after, not stopping to chat with anyone. There're was someone he had to talk to first.

The West residence was quiet, unusually so. Both Wally and his parents were naturally energetic and boisterous, but after the recent developments, the energy had seemed to have drained from the house.

Percy, dressed in civilian clothing, took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

A minute passed before the door was opened by a solemn Mary Allen, "I'm sorry, now is really…" She trailed off as she realized who it was.

Percy sighed, "Look ma'am, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, so let me start off by saying how sorry I am that this happened. I was not in my right mind when it happened, and—"

"Get out." Mary whispered, her eyes barely readable.

Percy blinked, "Look I know—"

He was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a pump action shotgun, before the door was pushed open fully, revealing Rudy Allen beside his wife, leveling a shotgun at the teen. "Don't make her ask twice boy."

Percy was speechless for a moment before gritting his teeth, "Please, I just need to talk to Wall—"

This time he was cut off by a shotgun blast. Percy had noticed the man's finger start to pull back and had to fight the urge to activate his wrist shield, it would have protected him, but it might have deflected the shot into the West's, which he was unwilling to do.

He also squashed down his urge to dodge the shot. After all, he was in a family neighborhood, a stray shot could hurt somebody.

So he set his jaw, raised his arms over his face, and stood his ground, hoping that he was Bulletproof like all of his gods claimed to be.

He wasn't. Figures.

However, he wasn't completely vulnerable either. the shot broke his skin but didn't seem to get very far past it. Instead of being sent flying back, he only stumbled back a few steps, clutching his bleeding abdomen with more surprise than pain, as Ichor spilled onto the Wests front porch.

He took a few deep breaths to calm down, before looking back up. Mary was long gone now, only Rudy stood in the doorway, his shaking hands fumbling to reload his shotgun.

Huffing in annoyance, he walked forward, "Fine then, I'll just let myself in."

He turned into water again, before flying past Rudy, and quickly making a beeline to Mary, who was trying to dial 911. He relieved her of her phone before rematerializing holding it. "That's a bit rude don't you think?"

Rudy had run back in at this point, and was about to shoot Percy again, when everyone's attention was drawn to: "What's going on! Hold on I'm—agh!"

Wally's voice from upstairs was cut off as he started to fall down them. Percy one again turned into water and shot across the room, just in time to catch the armless hero before his head hit the ground.

Wally, dazed and unfocused, didn't realize who was holding him for several moment. Once he refocused however, he yelped and scrambled away, bumping his head on the stairs railing in the process. "P-Percy?! What are you doing here?"

For a moment Percy's heart sank at the frightened behavior, until he noticed the red tint to Wally's cheeks. He sighed in relief; wally wasn't scared, he was just too macho to be held in another man's arms.

"I came to see how much you hate me." Percy answered simply.

Wally's eye's widened, "I don't! I mean I don't hate you man, I know you were not yourself…"

Ignoring the irony of that statement, Percy rolled his eyes, "Right, but there's a difference between what you know and what you _feel_. For example, I know your parents were just trying to protect you from what they saw as a threat, but I still feel very hurt that they shot me."

Wally's eyes widened as he finally noticed the large hole in Percy's shirt, revealing his golden abs (golden from the ichor flowing out of them). "Oh shit! Dad!"

Wally's parents had been frozen as the two heroes conversed, and only now moved as Rudy made a sorry attempt to hide the gun behind his back, "Uh... I was just trying to protect you son!"

Wally scoffed, "Looks to me that it's him who needs protection from you! Come on Percy, I'll take you to the sink."

Percy complied, eyeing the parents passively as he followed Wally to the kitchen. Once he was past he returned his attention to Wally as he walked, his arms, which were cut off at the elbow, seemed unsure of what to do with themselves. They mostly kept themselves locked to his sides as he walked. Though occasionally they would make a movement only Percy could recognize, as they came with a pain expression on Wally's face.

Percy stopped and grabbed Wally's arm, "Hold still for a moment."

Wally looked at him in irritation, "What are you—oh come on DAD! PUT THE GUN DOWN!"

The parents had indeed followed them and did not seem to like Percy touching their son so suddenly. He couldn't blame them.

Percy ignored them however and positioned his arm alongside Wally's, making it seem that his forearm was coming out of Wally's Stump. "Look at the arm and imagine clenching your fist."

Wally gave him a look, "But I can't—"

"Just trust me?" Percy pleaded. Wally faltered for a moment before nodding. "I'm imagining it…"

AAs he said it, Percy clenched his fist, "Now imagine opening it."

Wally did so as Percy did in real life., Wally's eyes widened comically.

Percy smiled as he saw it working, "Again, with the other arm."

Wally did so, and when it was over, he was noticeably less tense than before. As they walked into the kitchen, Wally whispered something to his parents before asking for privacy. To Percy's surprise, they gave it, but not before sending him some suspicious looks.

Wally returned to Percy who was running the sink and directing the water over his would, chuckling a bit as the shrapnel was pushed out of his skin. How fucked up was he, that this actually tickled in comparison to what he'd been through?"

As he did this, Wally asked, "How did you know? A-about the uh…"

"Ghost pains?" Percy supplied, "At least that's what I called them. Without getting into too much detail, I was dismembered a few times when I was "down there". So, I know from experience. when I came back up I researched it a bit, and apparently a lot of amputees experience it. People with one arm can usually relieve it by putting his hand in front of a mirror and looking at the reflection as if it's his other arm , this tricks the brain into thinking it's getting relief. I don't really understand it, but it worked didn't it"

Wally nodded, smiling a bit, "I've been trying to ignore it for days.. I think I might have ended up acting like a jerk…"

Percy nodded simply, "Yeah that's what I heard… but seriously Wally. If you resent me for this, I understand, but we have to get it out of the way now. I don't want it building up and exploding sometime important like a mission."

Wally looked at him in surprise, "how do you. know I'll return to the team?"

Percy actually laughed, "Come on man, we aren't that close, but I know a hero when I see one, and not just because of powers or costumes. It's a certain look in the eyes. You won't be able to help yourself."

Wally grimaced, "I can't help myself now, how will I help anyone without arms?"

Percy waved him off, "That's easy, the League is working on a prosthetic for you, and Tyson is undoubtedly coming up with something much better. You'll be fine, the only thing that can stop you from coming back is you. So, how soon can I expect you back?"

Wally looked at his leader for a long moment, before smiling, "Percy… I did resent you. I probably always will a little… but you were the first one to come to me without pity and—"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Percy held up a hand, "If you are irritated at your friends for pitying you then that's your problem. the only reason I don't feel pity is that it's replaced with empathy. Pity is natural for them to feel, and they only feel it because your important to them. Getting mad at them for it isn't fair. We clear?"

Wally looked angry for a moment and looked ready to yell but stopped with his mouth open as his sped up thought process processed his words. Instead of answering he just took a deep breath and said, "the doctor told me to take it easy for a few days, but when I can I'll report to the cave."

Percy smiled, "Great. Of course, we won't be going on missions first, we'll have to get your prosthetics set up and you used to them. Do you mind if Tyson comes over to take your measurements? I heard he was having trouble with that…"

Wally smiled, "Of course, I was wondering why he hadn't visited…"

"He'll probably come wearing a mask of some kind."

Realization came across Wally's face, "Oh… right. Thanks."

Percy stood up, no problem. Anyways that's all I really came for. See how you're doing and all that. I still haven't caught up with the rest of the team, and I have to get used to having three new members."

Wally blinked, "Wait, three?"

Percy smirked, before walking out the door , giving a friendly wave to Mary and Rudy as he passed.

He chalked that up to a successful visit. He did what he came to do, and learned without a doubt that he was not bulletproof. Just bullet resistant.

Now how to break the news about Jade to Artemis?

 **Chapter 17**

 **I'm alive!**

 **Long story short I've been really busy/tired lately, too tired for writing. I've been working my first real job, at a very popular fast food restaurant, 40 hours a week, every week for several months. I've finally gotten to the point where I will try to write a thousand words on every day off, but THEN again I only have two to three of those each week. I am taking my first week off soon though, if I can get it approved, so I'll definitely get some stuff done then.**

 **It's been a while since I was working on this, so if you find any inconsistencies let me now. I'll try to fix them.**

 **Thank you for everyone who continued to show support even though I disappeared like that, it is because of you that I managed to get back into this. I won't make any more promises however, as I always seem to break them.**


	18. Chapter 18

Third Person POV

"No!" Artemis stated.

Percy sighed, "This isn't really up for debate Artemis."

Percy was sitting at the head of the table in the Mountain Lounge area, the rest of the team in chairs all around him. He had just arrived back and had called a meeting to debrief everyone on the coming events, starting with the new coming members.

"Why on earth would you trust her?" Artemis exclaimed, referring to her sister, "Tricking people into doing that is kind of her thing!"

Percy sat up to his full height, "And you think her tricks would work on me?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes, "Depends, did you sleep with her?"

Percy coughed uncertainly while Artemis rolled her eyes. Percy tried his hardest to ignore the snickering around the table, as well as the many disapproving looks, worst of all from Aqualad. Thankfully Raven still had her usual monotone look, though for a moment he though he saw her mouth twitch.

He cleared his throat, "Not that it is any of your business, but yes I did. I'll admit it was a moment of weakness, but it was purely a form of stress relief, one I think you all will be happy to know, worked quite well.

A collective halfhearted cheer rang out from his original teammates, while Tyson, blushing red, had his fingers in his ears, trying hard not to think about his brother like that, with M'gann closely mimicking him. Kara simply rolled her eyes while muttering something about men (a notion he was sure she picked up from Themyscira), while Koriand'r looked confused, as if she didn't know what the fuss was about.

Again, Raven just remained impassive. Bless her soul.

Percy spoke up over the sarcastic cheer, "Oh screw you guys, how about you try being a 157-year-old virgin huh? Let me tell you: it ain't easy."

The drawls turned to laughter as Percy laughed with them. he had forgotten how much he missed them.

Artemis simply sighed as she rubbed her temples, "Okay, moving on from the fact that you… ugh… slept with my sister—"

"Wait, Cheshire is you sister?" Kara asked in surprise.

Artemis tensed up, but Percy quickly intervened, "That's not important. You were saying Artemis?"

The Archer gave him a grateful look before speaking, "I'm just trying to understand your reasoning. Cheshire is bad enough, but isn't Killer Croc a cannibal?"

Percy rolled his eyes, " _Waylon_ has never eaten anybody. Of course, he has killed people, but that doesn't mean he can't change his ways."

Robin didn't look convinced, "I don't think—"

"Luke Castellan.' Percy stated simply, shutting him up. Most of them remembered the name from his interrogation by the amazons.

Percy sighed, "Look let's just get the elephant out of the room here: I've already made up with Wally, if you think that's influencing my decisions it's not."

The team looked very interested in that, "You spoke with him?" Kaldur asked, how is he doing?"

"Better." Percy said confidently, "I also figured out what was making him so irritable so that's taken care of.'

Artemis scoffed, "Oh come on whatever it was couldn't have been—"

"It doesn't matter what it was," Percy interrupted, "but for the record, he was feeling ghost pains, as in pain in the arms that aren't there, and had no idea how to relieve them. that aside, I've talked with him about how he acted, and he feels bad, but Artemis the guy is missing both arms can you really expect him to act rationally right now? Gods know his parents aren't."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

He waved her off, "His dad shot me."

"WHAT!?" everyone else exclaimed.

Percy barely acknowledged it, "Emotions were high. Look, why don't we just put a pin in that for now and move on to something else. Namely: Koriand'r. Did I… pronounce that right?"

The Tameranian smiled and nodded, "Yes thank you. It is an honor to meet you Perseus."

Percy winced, "You can just call me Percy. Perseus is a name only my enemies should worry about. Now then, I hear your arrival kicked up quite a fuss."

The orange skinned girls' cheeks darkened, "Yes… I do apologize for that, I was… greatly distressed."

Before Percy could tell her it was fine, Tyson quickly assured her for him "That's alright, I was the same way when I arrived! Heck, I was so upset I accidentally. Ahem… broke a city block I think."

He looked down guiltily as he remembered the moment."

"Right…" Percy continued, before smirking, "And that's not even close to how Jack was."

"Hey what did I break?" The clone protested.

"The Cadmus building," Kaldur responded.

"My ribs," Robin chimed in.

"And my heart!" Percy cried dramatically.

Jackson rolled his eyes before realizing something, "Wait, "Jack"?"

Percy nodded, "I figured it would be less of a mouthful, unless you prefer everyone you know to be reminded of how awesome you think I am?"

Snickers went around the room, including a few greatly subdued ones from Koriand'r, making Jack grit his teeth, "Jack is fine."

Percy smiled and winked at him before looking back at Koriand'r, "Now, Koriand'r…. actually, can I call you Kori? While we are on the name thing?"

The girl eyed the pouting Jack before smiling at Percy, "That will be most acceptable."

"Alright then Kori, I already know your story and all about your powers from the briefing, but what I want to know is related to the war that sent you here."

Kori's smile vanished, "A0alright."

"What are the chances of it following you here?"

The girl winced, "It's possible more Gordonians will come for me, but I doubt it. The ship we sent back had been properly cowed and likely won't want to return, and the chances of the finding me are very low. This is a fairly backwater—I mean, Isolated planet."

Percy nodded, "Good. However, I also heard you intend to retake your planet after you amass enough force."

The room was audibly silent then. Kori raised her chin a bit. "Indeed."

"Do you intend to amass that force from this team?"

Apparently, that was not what Kori expected him to say, "O-of course not! I only intend to show my gratitude to you all and help you until I figure out how to regain my home."

Percy leaned back in his chair, less tense for some reason, "Good. Now don't get me wrong I'm sure your cause is good and all that, but I've already fought enough wars for this lifetime, I don't intend to get caught up in another, and I refuse to let any of this team get caught up in one either."

Kara leaned forward, "Hey, what if we wanted to help her?"

Percy closed his eyes as he answered, "Then you would have to go through me first."

He could feel the tension increase at that. Robin spoke up next, "Look we know you're just looking out for us but we can take care of ourselves."

"I'm aware."

"We've seen some messed up stuff." Robin continued.

"Not war." Percy answered, still with closed eyes.

"You realize I was enlisted in the Atlantean military at 14 right?" Kaldur spoke up cautiously.

"And I've known kids younger than that actually have to fight in wars. The ones that _survived_ never got over it. Powers or not you're still kids. Talk to me again when you're 18."

"Uh… technically I'm 48." M'gann stated nervously.

"Guys…" Tyson said nervously, though went mostly unnoticed

"And Jack's one chronologically, how Is that fair?" Robin spoke up

"And if you count the time I was in space," Kara chimed in, "I'm way older than 18—"

"And I'm 157!" Percy spoke up, standing from his chair, opening his eyes to show them glowing dangerously, "So why don't you all respect your elders and _trust me_. Do I really have to remind you what happened to my last team because of war?"

The room was silent. He really shouldn't have, they all thought guiltily. Percy wanted to yell more, but suddenly found the anger dissipating. He thought was strange, until he noticed a pale hand on his shoulder. Somehow, Raven had made her way beside him without him noticing.

When he realized what she was doing, he immediately pulled away, looing uncertain for a moment, before finally deciding what he felt. "Thank you." he whispered.

Eventually Koriand'r spoke up, "I'm afraid I know not of your past, but your conviction shows clear as day. I swear not to coerce any of your teammates to my cause. It was never really my intention…"

Percy nodded to her, "Thank you. Look I don't want to come across as unfriendly, I'd be happy to take some time later to get to know you better. Now however I have some things to check in on and prepare for our new arrivals."

Kori smiled understandingly, "Of course, I will look forward to it."

With that the meeting was unceremoniously adjourned, Percy nodding to the others before looking to Tyson, "Which way to the stables?"

His brother's eye widened before he smiled and bounded forward, eager to show Percy his work.

As soon as the brothers were gone, the other teammates looked the Kori "So what did you think?" Jack asked

The newcomer looked thoughtful, "He wasn't what I expected, given all that I'd heard about him, but he definitely has all of the qualities of a leader. I do have one question."

Kara smirked, "Wait let me guess: Is he single?"

Kori looked a bit shocked while the others groaned and growled at Kara. Only Raven and Jack, for some reason, remained silent."

Kori cleared her throat, "No… I was wondering what species he is. He is obviously not human, or not fully human. And he said he was over a century and a half old! So… what is he? If you will pardon my bluntness."

The room was silent as the heroes looked at each other, wondering what to say, "That," Kaldur spoke up, "is a complicated question."

Percy smiled as Tyson led him through the Mountain, happily updating him on all that at had happened while he was gone, from his perspective with Kori, to his plans on Wally's prosthetics. The most exciting development however was the completion of the stables and the arrival of the mares Blackjack "visited".

Percy was led to the hanger near the bottom of the mountain. Tyson exclaimed that he considered building it in the upper hanger, but that it would be much harder than to move the wingless Mares in.

When they arrived, the first thing that garnered Percy's attention, was a full-sized Mrs., O'Leary chasing Sphere around the room, barking happily as the Sphere whirred in what could only be terror.

Percy found himself laughing before h realized it, which got MRs' O'Leary's attention well enough. The hellhound barked excitedly, before bounding towards him, shrinking down to the size of a regular dog, much to his relief, before pouncing on him.

For once, instead of being flattened, he managed to remain on his feet as he caught her under her front legs and started to scratch her in all her favorite spaces, which son led to the hell beast on her back drooling happily as he rubbed her belly.

"She really missed you." Tyson said forlornly, "She whined the whole night after you left."

Percy winced, "That must have been tough."

Tyson shrugged, "The others managed to sleep through it, and I…couldn't sleep anyways.

Percy took a moment from greeting his dog to put a hand on his brother's shoulders, "I know it wasn't easy Tyson, but from what I can tell, you handled yourself perfectly while you were gone. I'm really proud of you man."

Tyson smiled proudly, "I did my best! And I've gotten a lot of practice in with my wings! I can't wait to show you, I can almost fly as well as Blackjack now!"

 _Let's not get ahead of ourselves now._

Percy turned to see his equine friend trotting up to him. _How's it going Boss?"_

Percy gave him a tight smile as he stroked his muzzle, "It's going I suppose. How are the mares?"

 _Still getting used to the new place, it's nice though, almost nice enough for me to want to stay. Almost._

Percy rolled his eyes, "Come on, you won't even stay for all your girlfriends?"

 _Horses don't like labels Boss. Though they are getting a little antsy in there, a lot of them are leaving their homes for the first time. Think you could…_

Percy nodded, "I'm on it" he turned to Tyson, "How about keeping the stables clean? We got a plan for that."

Tyson looked away guiltily, "I've been doing it so far, I didn't want to bother anyone—"

"Wrong answer." Perc stated, "I'll clean it today and tomorrow but everyone who lives in this mountain can pitch in every now and then, gods know they're capable." He shuttered at the memory of a much worse stable cleaning experience, "If they complain just send them my way."

Tyson didn't argue,

The trio then walked through the stables, meeting and tending to each of the mares. They were all surprised to meet Percy and were curious at their own compulsions to obey him, but once they learned that he was the "boss" of Blackjack, they didn't seem to care. They continually sang the Pegasus' praises. Blackjack was right about horses not caring about labels, or modesty, or… censorship.

Percy had never felt more awkward around his black feathered friend

A lot of them were also freaked out by Tyson, but not as much as the horses back home, who actually knew what a cyclops was, so it was easier to calm them down. After he had finished checking each of them, and grooming those who needed it, he dusted himself off next to Tyson at the entrance. "A lot of them are pretty far along. Do we have the equipment necessary for the births?

A regular horse pregnancy was around 11-12 months. Not so with magical winged horses. A quick inspection showed the same rules applied here, as many of the mares would give birth in a few weeks, much to his annoyance, though he didn't show it.

"We do." Tyson assured him, "I made sure of it. It was hard though, with Batman…"

Percy narrowed his eyes, "He tried to stop you?"

"No it's just, he obviously didn't know anything about horses, it felt weird having to explain it to him."

Percy rolled his eyes, "I'm sure next time we see him he'll know everything about them."

"Well, maybe not _everything._ "

Tyson jumped, somehow not sensing the Dark Knight's approach this time. Percy chuckled internally as he turned to face Batman. No doubt the hero had been working on his Stealth purely for Tyson.

"Enough to help out with maintenance?" Percy smirked.

To his amusement, the man smirked back. "I'm sure you and your team will be more than enough. Call it a bonding exercise."

Percy chuckled and didn't dare push it. The man had already paid for everything, he didn't really expect more. He quickly stopped however and turned serious, "What is it?"

Batman sighed, "I heard you slept with Cheshire. You didn't mention it to the rest of the League."

Percy was ware of an incredibly uncomfortable Tyson beside him, "T why don't you go find Jack, and meet me at the gym later. I want to get some exercise in.

Grateful for the escape, Tyson quickly rushed off.

"I didn't think it was the League's business." Percy addressed Batman.

"Maybe not." Batman nodded, "But you should be careful."

"You think I'm compromised."

Batman hummed, "I think you have one of the strongest wills, and minds that I have ever seen."

"Aw, you'll make me blush, but you obviously haven't seen my Standardized test scores."

"But even the strongest minds can be muddied when women are involved. I myself have been a victim of this." Percy gaped at that, "Why so surprised?"

"You got someone to date you?!"

"... you may be strong willed and somewhat strong minded, but even you can make mistakes. As of this moment I do not believe you are compromised, but we will be monitoring Cheshire closely just in case. As for Waylon… well I don't believe you slept with him, but he is still dangerous. We're taking a risk trusting you with him."

Percy rolled his eyes, "He's nothing I can't handle. I don't think he'll be a problem, he claims to be tired of the villain gig, and with a name like Killer Croc I can't blame him."

Batman grunted in agreement, "True… if only you could be such a good influence on all the villains" he turned to walk away.

Percy smirked, "Are you mad about what I did to Riddler?"

The older hero stopped at the door and spoke without looking back. "I would never condone such brutality."

Percy rolled his eyes, knowing batman was one of the most brutal Leaguers, but before he could retort the man looked over his shoulder with a smirk, However, I also would never condone talking as much as that man does."

 **The next day**

"So this is where you and the kids have been hiding…" Jade mused as they exited the boom tube, "Clever."

Percy had just collected Cheshire and Killer Croc from Belle Rev, from a very annoyed looking Amanda Waller. Percy wasn't certain what her problem was, but he suspected it had something to do with his resistance to her collars, or maybe it was because he infiltrated her prison, put her prisoners in critical condition, and helped orchestrate a breakout, but hey he stopped it didn't he!?

Speaking of which, the two former villains were now sporting a pair of brand-new ones, courtesy of the league's science division, which they apparently had. It had the electric shock capabilities, though the only remote to it belonged to Percy and the League. Even Percy didn't know where the Leagues remote was, or how it worked. He obviously didn't approve of that, but he could understand it.

Another thing he didn't like was how they were transferred to him in handcuffs. Evidently however it made his teammates feel much better.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, as he was standing assembled with the other heroes to greet the newcomers, "You can't possibly tell where we are."

Jade smirked, "This is Mt. Justice correct? The former headquarters of the Justice League?" at Robin's gaping and the uncomfortable shifts of the others, Jade could only laugh, "Don't look so surprised Kiddoes, I'm a former member of the Shadows remember? Did you really think we wouldn't be trained to recognize any and every location, past and present, of our greatest enemy?"

The team recoiled as Waylon laughed at them. Probably because they didn't know it was laughing, instead of strange repetitive hissing.

Percy rolled his eyes, "Guy's, relax, let's just get to introductions. Obviously, this is Waylon Jones, and—"

"Jade Crock," Cheshire interrupted, "Assassin extraordinaire and Artemis' sister, I'm sure she's told you all about me."

Artemis scoffed as she glared at her sister, "What could I have told them? I haven't seen you since I was a kid."

Jade tsked,

Koriand'r stepped forward, "My name is Koriand'r, but you can call me Kori. I look forward to working with you!"

Jade seemed taken aback by the genuineness of the greeting, but was taken even more aback as Tyson walked up, "Hi! I'm Tyson! If you want any weapons made you can ask me! I'm really good!"

"What is _that_." Jade hissed in surprise. Waylon on the other hand simply walked up and started conversing with the Cyclops.

"That is my brother." Percy answered a little too calmly, "You might have heard of a certain monster taking on the entire league a while back?"

Jades eyes widened, and looked to want to say more, but Percy found himself distracted as the entire team went into a battle positions. Apparently Tyson had just taken Waylon's cuffs off.

Percy sighed as he approached the too. Tyson was admiring Waylon's scales, and asking questions about them, while Waylon preened at the attention.

"I've taken hits from a sniper rifle before and barely felt it," he boasted, "maybe if it was pointblank but otherwise bullets aren't getting through."

"That's so cool!" Tyson exclaimed, "DO you think it's the density or the way their arranged? If it's the overlay then I could make some pretty good—oh sorry Brother , I was distracted.

Percy simply smiled in amusement, "That's fine, but next time please ask me first before uncuffing someone? not that I don't trust your judgement but…" he gestured to the on edge heroes.

Tyson's eye widened, "Oh! Sorry guys!"

Percy chuckled before gesturing to Robin, "Boy wonder, go ahead and uncuff Cheshire."

The "boy wonder" gritted his teeth at the nickname but went to do as he said. Unfortunately, Artemis stepped forward as well, "Are you sure that's the best idea? let me do it I think—"

"I asked Robin." Percy stated firmly, staring down he archer as she glared back, before she finally broke eye contact, crossing her arms in a huff as she looked away.

"Yeah Artemis." Jade taunted as Robin carefully used his lock pick to uncuff the assassin, tensing up as they came on dune and clattered to the floor, allowing the girl to stretch her arms, shamelessly puffing out her chest, making her younger sister scoff and many male eyes turn away before she went to rubbing her wrists. She then noticed all the apprehensive stares and chuckled, "Oh relax, if I was going to turn on you, I wouldn't do it here."

The others relaxed a bit—

"I'd do it while you're sleeping!" Jade stated cheerfully. The tenseness returned.

Percy sighed and rubbed is forehead, "And with that you've earned yourself a lock on your door at night. Seriously Jade knock it off."

The assassin only smile wider, "'A lock huh? Let me guess, only you have the key?"

Percy ignored and began walking away, "I have things to do so you all, meet and greet. Tyson, if a fight breaks out please break it up."

The cyclops saluted dutifully as Percy left the room.

He soon found himself down in the makeshift dock, lovingly tending to the _Wise Girl._ She hadn't had much attention or maintenance since he was away, which was more his fault for not asking Tyson about it.

He first made his way underwater and began talking to the barnacles that had attached themselves to her hull. After a few minutes of debate he convinced them to detach so he could take them to a new place to live. He did so with utmost care before returning to the deck.

He was in the process of sanding the railings, when he heard feet land on the deck behind him. He turned to see Raven standing there in her cloak, looking at him with their usual deadpan. He nodded to her, "Hey."

"Hey."

"Why aren't you getting to know the newcomers?"

"I said hi and told them my name."

Percy paused for a moment before slowly nodding, "I guess for you that is pretty good."

IF she was offended she didn't show it. "How are you doing?"

Percy thought about it for a second before turning to continue sanding as he answered, "Pretty good actually. Better than I have in while."

She nodded understandingly, "Sexual release is very effective for pent up emotions. I can feel the "pressure" for lack of a better word, of your emotions has subsided greatly."

Percy snorted at her bluntness, "Uh, yeah I guess that's true—"

"It's only temporary."

Percy stopped sanding, took a deep breath before turning to her, "I know that."

"It will only get worse again."

"I know."

"and if you keep staving it off like that it will regress even worse that it was befo—

"I KNOW!" Percy snapped, causing the girl to float back a bit. With a sigh he realized he had broken his sander in his hand . "what's your point?"

She stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "I'm just concerned that this is effecting your judgement with Cheshire."

The cavern was silent then ,save from the drops of water from the ceiling.. Percy stared at Raven in disbelief, while she slowly edged farther away, sensing his emotions building up again, though she wasn't sure why.

"…how… dare you!" He exclaimed.

Her eyes widened, "What?"

Percy chuckled humorlessly and started stomping across the deck towards the capstan, "Does everyone on my team really thing so little of me?"

Raven frowned before floating after him ,"What do you mean? I didn't mean to offend—"

He whirled on her, "You think I would use Jade as some _fuck toy_ as a way to ease my own pain? You think I would pull all those strings, get her on this team simply so I can get _laid_ some more?"

Raven winced, "I didn't mean—"

"No I'm sure you didn't." Percy snapped. Which his accentuated by flicking his hand and willing the anchor to get pulled out of the water in an instant, clanging against the side of the ship loudly. He then started making his way towards the helm.

"Where are you going?" Raven asked as he started maneuvering the ship out of the cave.

"Out," he stated simply, "Tell the others I'll be back by tonight. Now I suggest you get off my ship, something tells me the seas are going to be a bit rough." He glared at her.

She looked as if she wanted to protest more, but she instead gave a simple, "I'm sorry." and floated away towards the cave

 **Later**

It was indeed a rough day out at sea, however since the source of said roughness was emanating from the _Wise Girl,_ the ship was in little danger of capsizing.

Percy made sure not to go to fast as he made his way towards Manhattan island. He used the time to release his anger into the sea, before shutting it all down as he neared the city. He anchored his vessel several miles out and was about to leave it there, when he thought better. With a little concentration, he bent the water to his will and lowered the ship down to the sea bed, keeping a bubble of air around it, then, remembering his newfound control over waters temperature, he tried freezing the water around it so it was incased in a bubble of ice.

It took a lot more energy than he had anticipated, presumably from lack of practice, but eventually he managed it, making the dome o ice several layers thick to withstand the pressure. He then conscripted some sharks and dolphins to protect the dome just in case, before turning and shooting through the water towards the shore.

He emerged perfectly dry as always, startling several passerby's at the pier, and confusing them even more. He wasn't wearing his armor for this one, as he didn't plan to actively seek out trouble today, instead he was wearing the smart-clothing he got from M'gann on his birthday, as well as the shoes Wally gave him. With some help form M'gann, the semi-conscious fabric now had two looks: a dark bodysuit with his armors color scheme and the domino mask included, I case of any unexpected heroics, and jeans and an orange camp half-blood t shirt, the image of which he had M'gann fish from his mind.

So, ignoring the confusion and stares he received, he started making his way through the city, without Tyson, he couldn't sniff out crime, so it came as a surprise to him when he still found some: a few muggings, as well as an attempted rape. The muggings he stopped pretty quickly, with water tendrils while he stayed out of sight, but the rape he decided needed a personal touch.

He gave his clothes the mental command to switch to the suit, and rained down hell on the bastards, breaking many of their bones in the process, but somehow managing not to kill them. It was pretty cathartic. The woman he saved was a little apprehensive when she saw who he was, but thanked him anyway before quickly running home. He didn't blame her, after all the news about him. He was just glad none of the people he saved tried to worship him or something.

That's why when he finally reached _Puzzles_ he was in a lot better mood than he was before. He entered the restaurant quietly and made his way to his regular spot, which was thankfully empty.

It wasn't long after that Caroline spotted him and had one of her waitresses take over for her. she was visibly nervous as she approached his table, "P-Perseus? Is that you?"

He smiled softly at her, "Yeah, but please call me Percy when I'm out of uniform."

She nodded slowly, "Okay… can I get you anything or—"

"Do you want me to leave?"

The question seemed to shock the older woman. After a moment of processing she sat across from him at his table, seemingly preparing what she wanted to say "I… I'm sorry that I'm acting this way it's just… I'm confused okay? You seem like such good kid, and yet with all that's going on in the news, the league saying you're a…" she trialed off at the look on his face, "The point is no. I don't want you to leave. I just want to know: are you okay?"

Percy's eyebrows rose at that, he had though her nervousness was based in fear not uncertainty about how to approach him, "I'm… well honestly I haven't been fine in a long time. I was hoping I could come here to unwind for a moment. I heard how you helped My team out during the invasion business. I'm very grateful for that, but I don't want you to think that you owe me or T anything more. If we're causing trouble for your business—"

"Oh please." Caroline cut him off, "Even bad press is good press. That picture of you guys on my wall worked exactly how I hoped, save for a few religious types accusing me of idol worship, but business has never been better. Everyone's curious what someone like you would consider a good burger."

He shrugged, "Well I'm glad for that at least. If you get into any trouble for it though—"

"Call you?" She asked with a smirk. Percy laughed nervously as he remembered he didn't have phone or any way for her to contact him.

"We can work on that." He said before leaning back. "So can I go ahead and order or…"

Caroline was looking at him expectantly with a raised eyebrow, "What?" He asked.

"You sure there's nothing going on right now that you want to talk about?"

Percy was confused for a moment before she pointed behind him at the TV. He looked and saw a weather report about a freak miniature hurricane that had appeared of the eastern coast and disappeared into apparent thin air. "Oh. Woops."

So he told her, about his fight with Raven that is. Caroline new Raven only a little less than she knew Percy as the girl visited with the brothers fairly regularly during which she had noticed something very interesting, so when she heard what the problem was she couldn't help but smirk a bit.

Percy noticed, "What?"

The woman sighed dramatically, "Geeze, good to know you really are just a guy at the end of the day. I think we can both agree that your teammates reaction was a bit warranted."

Percy flushed a bit but nodded, "Yeah, but Raven took it too far. I mean how could she thin I'd do that? I thought she knew me better than that!"

"She likely does, but I don't think that's a factor here. Percy have you considered the fact that hearing about your sexual exploits and then having it shoved in her face with the girls arrival has made her a bit—"

She was cut off by an explosion outside.

Outside the window, civilians started screaming and running away from something. A moment later, they had to dodge as a taxi flew through the air past them, resulting in an explosion further down the street.

Percy gritted his teeth, as he stood up from his table, "Guess I'll have to put lunch on hold. You might want to close for a bit."

Caroline visibly gulped, but was quick to head to the back, ushering customers and waitresses somewhere safer.

Percy burst out the door in frustration, which he intended to use against whatever superpowered bastard unlucky enough to cross his path today. But, as he shifted his clothes into hero mode and turned to face the threat, he froze.

It wasn't a rogue meta, a rampaging mech, or even a failed science experiment gone wild as was the norm for this universe. No, instead he faced something far more familiar to him.

It stood far taller than any normal man should. It was far hairier too, with much of its upper torso covered in fur. Most striking however, was that instead of a human head, it had the snarling visage of a bull upon it's shoulders.

Percy faced the minotaur once again.

"... You have got to be kidding me."

 **Meanwhile, back at the Mountain.**

Raven drifted slowly through the halls, lost deep in thought about her argument with Percy. Well, it was less of an argument, and more of her making a rather outrageous assumption, and him getting rightfully offended by it.

In hindsight, she should have known better, but something inside her had affected her judgement, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Usually she had a tight lock on her emotions, so the fact that one had grown so powerful could only mean trouble. She resolved to go nip the problem in the bud by entering her mindscape once again. There she can deal with those troublesome feelings directly.

As she was making her way however, a voice interrupted her thoughts, "Hey there."

Raven froze, before turning to see the newly arrived Jade leaning against the wall. How had she not noticed her? was the assassin simply that good, or was she really that distracted?

She nodded curtly to the woman, "HI." And tried to move past.

To her annoyance, the woman stepped in her way. Jade seemed to notice how tense this made her however, and backed away a few steps, "Relax. I only wanted some directions. I'm having trouble finding my room."

Raven blinked, "Did none of the others offer to show you?"

Jade waved her off, "Oh I'm sure they would have, but they're just so… energetic, that I had to slip away for a while. I'm sure you know what I mean."

Raven did, though she didn't say so. "You know that won't help them trust you. also, Kara has X ray vision."

Jade snorted, "Well she obviously hasn't mastered it, they still haven't found me. anyway, do you know where I'll be bunking?"

Raven considered for a moment, before changing her course, "Follow me."

The assassin pushed off the wall and jumped into step behind her, "Many thanks."

They walked in silence at first, which Raven preferred, but of course it had to be broken, "So, what's going on between you and our divine leader?"

Raven looked back at her blankly, "What do you mean?"

Jade shrugged, but couldn't hide a sly smirk, "Well, first Percy leaves, saying he has "business" to take care of, and a few minutes later, you leave in the same direction."

"That room has only one exit, I had to leave in the same direction."

"Oh come on!" Jade giggled as she leaped in fort of her, "It's just us girls here, no need to be shy. Maybe giving the leader a proper welcome back?"

Raven tensed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jade smiled widely, "Oh I think you do. He can say what he likes, but that man was _way_ too good at what he did to me to be a virgin."

Raven felt her mouth twitch , "I think you're mistaken, Percy and I don't have that kind of relationship."

"You sure? Maybe you've just forgotten. Let's see if I can give you refresh, has ever done that thing where he makes his hand water and slips it in your—"

"We aren't LIKE THAT!" Raven found herself raising her voice in the end, as well as unconsciously sending out a burst of energy, not enough to cause damage, but enough to send jades large mane of hair fluttering.

That's when Raven knew without a doubt where Jade earned the name Cheshire, "Alright, I believe you. honestly I was just wondering if there was any way to make you crack, you seem so dead set on remaining emotionless. I told myself: it's such a shame, I'm sure a little energy in those eyes would brighten up that drab face."

Raven, now composed, ignored the girl and turned to float away. As she did so however, jade called one more time: "Pretty interesting though, that the only thing to really get to you is talking about Percy…"

She gave no response, but she couldn't help but agree.

Artemis watched her go with a smirk, before turning and walking to her room. she had already found out where it was.

When she opened the door, she was not at all surprised to see her green clad little sister waiting for her. She cooed at her, "Oh look, you came to catch up with your big sis?"

Artemis snarled, "I can just look up your criminal record, cut out the middle man."

Jade shrugg3d and strolled past her before sitting on her bed, idly testing its springs. Artemis followed with her glare, "What are you doing here Cheshire?"

Jade stopped what she was doing and looked at her sister, "I thought Percy already told you that?"

Her sister scoffed, "I get the whole running from the shadows thing, but I know for a fact that you trust heroes even less than you trust them. so what gives? If you think I'll let you spy on this team—"

"Relaaaax sis." Jade drawled as she laid back on her bed before propping her head u to look at Artemis. "I'm not a mole. I'm not that stupid."

"You're not at all stupid," Artemis stated matter-of-factly, "That's what I'm worried about."

Jade quirked an eyebrow, but felt a swell of pride for her sister. "Fine. You're right, I don't trust the "heroes" but… well, Percy isn't like them is he?"

Artemis sighed exhaustedly and rubbed her face, "Please don't tell me you agreed to this just so you can sleep with him again?"

Jade laughed heartily at that, "Oh sister, if you knew what he was like you'd be far less judgmental. But no, something tells me that that was a one-time thing. I don't mind really. I can always get the job done my—"

"Okay ew! Ew ew ew ew!" Artemis shrieked while covering her ears, "I don't need that image in my head."

Jade chuckled a gain, before her eyes turned more serious, "Sis, you may not know me as much as you should, but you know me better than most. I always do what benefits me the most. Percy is… powerful, and not just because he's a god. He has resolve, the kind I thought only existed in people like Ra's al Ghoul. I want to be on the winning side, and if you ask me, that is whatever side Percy Jackson is on. "

Artemis looked at her for a moment before sighing in concession, "Fine, I'll believe you for now." She then turned to walk out of the room.

"You know, If you really did want to catch up I wouldn't mind." Jade said, trying her best to sound nonchalant

Artemis laughed humorlessly at that, "Really? Well I hope my answer is something you'll recognize."

She walked out the door, not looking back .

Jade sighed.

Waylon Jones was happier than he had been in years.

Granted, the last decade has consisted mostly of crime and ridicule from just about every one he met, but still. He had made fast friends with the Cyclops, who apparently was Percy's brother somehow, not that he particularly cared. After the little welcoming party, he found himself dragged around the cave as Tyson gave him the grand tour. He found himself a bit taken aback at times, like with the stables that apparently would house baby Pegasi, and the freaking _Hellhound_ that greeted him with licks to the face for some reason. There was also this weird roly poly looking thing made of metal, but it didn't really do much.

Eventually he asked to hang out at the gym. Waller never let him have gym privileges, claiming his genetics gave him enough strength as it is, which, while true, was still annoying. Over the years as his atavism progressed, he got stronger and stronger, until he could nearly meet Bane's strength, on a very good day, but only if he kept himself in good sap. That meant frequent weight lifting.

He soon regretted is request however, as he found himself hopelessly outclassed by many of the members of the team. Most of them could lift several tons as easily as he could a basketball, aside from Robin of course, but Waylon knew painfully well where that kids strengths laid.

Funnily enough, the one closest to his strength level turned out to be Aqualad, who was gracious enough to spot for him, and vice versa. The others seemed loathe to come close to him, aside from Tyson. It soon became clear why.

"Apologies if this comes across as rude, but is it true that you're are a cannibal?" Koriand'r asked. sounding impossibly innocent as she did so. The mutant was actual dumbstruck, and lost his grip on his barbell, forcing Kaldur to have to pull it off him,

To his surprise, Robin answered for him, "No Kori, he's not. That's just a rumor that he allowed to fester so his enemies would fear him. He's never eaten anyone, nor has he fed people to crocodiles."

Waylon felt the need to thank the little nuisance , and almost did so until he continued with, "But he has murdered people before."

He let out an low hiss, "Don't give her the wrong idea, I killed criminals, my competition, the occasional dirt bag politician, but never someone innocent, and never for no reason."

"You tried to kill me a bunch of times."

"Yeah but you're really annoying"

Robin narrowed his eyes, and narrowed them further , when he a subdued snort from Jack. He looked over at the clone in disbelief who only shrugged, "I mean you kind of are sometimes"

Waylon rolled is eyes and sat up, "Look if I have to spend the rest of my life hearing you all bitch about my bad decisions ,I might as well go back to prison.

Robin looked about to agree with him, but Kaldur spoke first, "That will not be necessary. I'm sure _everyone_ here knows that sometimes life throws us a bad hand. Sometimes we make the right choice, and sometimes we do not."

Robin frowned but didn't argue, while Koriand'r looked at the Atlantiean thoughtfully. Tyson looked uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere however, and piped up with, "Want to see the training room?"

Waylon might have, but before anyone could answer, Kara, the terrifying Kryptonian girl, appeared in the doorway with a strange expression "Uh guys, you might want to come see what's on the news!"

"What is it?" Robin asked, already moving towards her."

"It's Percy, and he's fighting… well you better come see."

 **With Percy**

Percy eyed the news helicopter warily as he circled his opponent. It had appeared shortly after his fight had begun, and it was making him anxious.

Mostly because his fight should have been over by now. He had gotten pretty good at taking out Bull Breath over the years, but this time seems to be different. The reasons was obvious however.

Instead of being clad in fruit of the looms like the first time he faced the Minotaur, the beast was wearing heavy armor. And not the kind he wore at the battle of Manhattan. This armor was strange, twisted, red and almost… demonic. The same went for the new great axe he bore. It was double sided with each blade being jagged and blood red.

Alongside his new equipment, the minotaur had had a major upgrade in abilities, which made sense in a way. The same had happened for Tyson after all. The beast was quicker, matching his swordplay with its axe and barreling past him at the speed of a freight train. It was stronger, throwing buses at him like they were baseballs. And worst of all" it was smarter, no longer falling for his matador trick.

All that being said, Percy was holding back as well. Limiting himself to swordplay with Riptide, no powers involved, but there was a reason for that. He knew this universe had monsters, but this Minotaur looked exactly like his, and he acted like he recognized Percy. He wasn't sure what was up with Riptide these days, but if it can slay this monster, he was going to have to have a serious discussion with the League.

He dodged another taxi. The minotaur had ben hooking them on his ax and slinging them at high speeds. It was getting annoying. With a snort of frustration, the beast began another charge towards him, which Percy met with a grimace.

The two collided in the middle of the block they had ended up in. Percy had been careful to lead them away from Puzzles. When they met, Percy yelled in anger and tried to slice his enemies approaching axe in two, but it seemed this weapon was made of sterner stuff than the last. Riptide only clanged off of it. In that brief moment of uncertainty, the monster took the opportunity to spartan kick Percy in the chest, sending him flying backwards before slamming into an abandoned bus, folding it in half with his momentum.

He coughed uncontrollably, grimacing as gold splattered on the ground beneath him. With a groan, he pulled himself from the wreckage and started walking towards the bull man. He had made a mistake in this fight: he had treated the Minotaur as he always had, like the creature he had beaten bare handed when he was only twelve. Obviously it was no longer that.

"Alright Beef for brains," Percy called out, causing it to roar in indignation, "You want me? come get me!"

And come it did. Once again, the monster charged, it's axe horizontal in its hands to discourage any last minute side stepping. Percy simply stood tall and waited for him to arrive, giving his enemy all of his focus.

When it arrived, he wasted no time. He ducked under the first swing and paired the next, with great strain to his muscles. Before doing something, many would call insane: he leaped forward, and headbutted the minotaur.

Apparently, it was so insane that even the Minotaur couldn't see it coming. While it sent pain hammering through Percy's skull and likely a lot less through the Minotaur, it had the monster stumbling back in confusion. That was all Percy needed.

Ignoring his self-inflicted migraine, Percy leapt forward again, grabbing the minotaur's left horn with one hand, and using it as leverage to shove his sword into the creatures chest as hard as possible. He got a lot of resistance from the strange armor, but in the end it was no match for good old fashioned Celestial Bronze. He forced it through and looked into the creatures eyes as it roared in pain. As it died however, the look in its eyes wasn't defeat, it was resolve. The hatred that burned form the beginning of the fight hadn't disappeared , it only burned brighter the look in its eyes was clear, it said: _I'll get you next time._

Percy knew, even before it exploded into Monster dust, that this was indeed the minotaur from his world. After a moment of processing, he looked down at his left hand to see that he had accidentally snapped the monsters horn off in the process. He gritted his teeth, and nearly attempted to crus it in his hand right then and there, before he stopped, having a better idea.

 **Later**

Percy walked out of the mountain's teleporter with a purpose, feeling a bit of relief when he found Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman already waiting for him. "Thank goodness, I thought I would have to call you myself."

"We need to talk Percy!" Superman stepped forward and talked first, making Percy, and the other two heroes roll their eyes a bit.

"I know." Percy responded, before tossing the Minotaur Horn to Wonder Woman, who caught it easily though with a bit of surprise. "Diana, please tell me that this is the horn from _your_ minotaur."

Before the Amazon could respond, Superman was talking again, "Now hold on, we aren't just going to look over what you did today!"

Percy looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You killed! Again!"

The man of steel was taken aback when he was met with genuine laughter , "No I didn't."

Batman finally stepped forward, "If it isn't dead, then what happened to it?" his tone indicated he dreaded the answer.

Wonder Woman spoke next, "The minotaur has been dead for centuries Percy, this is… not of our world."

Percy took the horn from her outstretched arm, looked at it for. Moment, before growling and channeling earthquake energy through it, eventually shattering it with a yell before pacing back and forth between the three heroes,

Batman tried to calm him down, "It might have been a genetic experiment, or a magical construct."

Percy shook his head and uncapped Riptide, not noticing as Superman flinched, "I killed him with this, and he turned to dust. Not only that but I saw his eyes. He knew me, and I knew him."

"So you admit to killing him." Superman stated with his arms crossed.

Percy whirled on the Kryptonian "He's not dead you moron! He's reforming! Probably down in some hellish dimension from this universe. It's the only way. I know I killed him right before I came here, but why did he follow me? How?"

"Whatever the reason, however he did it, the fact is he's here now." Wonder Woman stated. "An immortal monster that likely will come straight to you whenever it reforms which will be…"

Percy shrugged hopelessly, "It could be years, centuries, months, or days. Probably days with my luck."

"All you can do now is wait," Batman said, "But the next time he shows up, we should try to get Zatara to meet it. There might be a solution in magic to keep him contained."

Percy brightened up at that, but only for a moment. "Yeah… I'm so sorry."

Wonder Woman came and put a hand on his shoulder in concern, "What do you mean? This isn't your fault."

"It sure feels like it." Superman muttered. Only to get elbowed by Wonder Woman.

"Don't be sorry." Batman spoke firmly. "Be better. Even if it turns out it is your fault, then all you have to do is keep fighting him off like you did today. The same thing you've always done."

Percy nodded grimly, "You're right." He took a deep breath before glancing at Superman, who was looking at Riptide nervously. He sighed, "You can relax dude, I have no reason to kill you with this."

Superman narrowed his eyes, "Yes, but if you were to lose it, it could fall into the wrong hands."

Percy rolled his eye , "What part of "magically enchanted to return to my pocket" don't you understand. No one can claim ownership over it unless I give it to them, happy?"

He obviously was not but said nothing more. Percy scoffed, "I still don't understand why it works on Kryptonians anyways."

Wonderwoman looked thoughtful as well, "He always has been vulnerable to magic attacks."

"Everyone is vulnerable to magic attacks," Batman explained simply. "It doesn't explain why Riptide goes through you and not him."

For her part, the amazon's cheeks were a bit red as she looked away.

"So, we just wait then?" Percy asked.

"That's all we can do" Batman stated.

So that's what they did three weeks of waiting. Of course, no one was idle during that time. Life goes on, heroics to be done.

Percy officially took up Manhattan patrol again, despite some of the residents still having a bit of a problem with him. Though he would never admit it, there were a few times he thought of yelling back, and he might have, if not for Tyson always being there bedside him.

He kept training with the team as well. With their new members they were becoming a force to be reckoned with. The addition of Cheshire and Croc added new elements in their training. Croc, while no Joker or Lex Luthor, had set a few traps for heroes in his day, and was helping them learn how to spot a set up as well as training with them to get used to larger, tougher opponents.

Cheshire on the other hand, had a far more sinister game, one she called the Cat and Mouse game. In it, she was the Cat, and all of them were the mice. At first a few were skeptical of the game but were soon shut up when they were "assassinated." As she explained it, their encounter with the was a rush job where she had no preparation, which is not the Shadows usual style. After taking several days to get used to the cave, she unleashed a series of attacks that got the better of everyone on the team, except Tyson, much to her disappointment. She felt better however, when Percy mentioned that even Batman has trouble sneaking up on the Cyclops.

Tyson also kept himself busy with the forge. He had approached everyone with offers of new armor or weapons despite already working on Wally's prosthetics, alongside Raven for some reason. Almost everyone had refused except for Waylon, despite his own natural body armor. When asked about it he claimed to be tired of just walking around shirtless all the time.

"I want to look badass!" he exclaimed.

Percy decided not to take the pair of former bad guys on patrol anytime soon, not just because they were intimidating … well okay mostly because of that, but also because their fighting styles were still too brutal. Neither of them were used to holding back against regular humans.

Percy also noticed that Cheshire never approached him for more "fun". he wasn't too disappointed. He probably would have said no, partly because he didn't want to end up like the gods, and partly because what Raven said might have gotten to him a little.

Soon after he had returned form the fight with the Minotaur, she had approached him and apologized profusely, stating that she was out of line and making quick assumptions. Admittedly he was tempted to bask in the win and agree that she was wrong, but he ended up forgiving her and saying that she was right to be a bit concerned, just maybe not that much.

On an especially fun day, he returned to Atlantis with Kaldur to visit the magic university. He didn't have time to learn anything special, but he did end up getting a matching pair of eel tattoos on his arms, the same as Kaldur's. Even better, it was Tula who ended up doing it, on Kaldur's request. The girl had trouble focusing with Percy's scars and physique on full display, but to her boyfriend who was also present, it looked to be only his physique.

Not that Percy resented them for breaking Kaldur's heart or anything. He wasn't petty like that.

With the tattoos done, (and looking badass btw) the two soon made their way back home. Percy had absolutely no idea how to use the markings, as Kaldur planned to teach him what he knew over time, when they got the chance.

Of course, a less than popular development was the new stable cleaning job, that was distributed to each member of the team. Oh no one argued, especially after meeting the beautiful mares, (Blackjack had high standards after all) but no one could ever enjoy shoveling manure.

It was at the end of the three weeks that Wally finally made his return to the cave, with both hands no less."

"They grew back!?" Was what the bewildered Tyson exclaimed as soon as Wally entered through the teleporter. He was still in civilian clothing, and it did indeed seem like his severed limbs had returned, with skin covered hands by his sides.

Wally couldn't help but chuckle at him before pressing an unseen button, lowering a holographic image of the skin covering his now metal prosthetics, "It's from Star Labs, the Flash has a close relationship with them. This way, I don't have to worry about people making the connection of Wally West and Kid Flash losing limbs at the same time."

"That's awesome dude!" Robin exclaimed as he embraced his old friend, before grabbing one of the prosthetics, "You know if you let me into their systems I bet I could—" He was cut off as Wally snatched his arm out of the mischievous hackers grasp

Wally blinked as he noticed a few new faces, including some villainous ones, "Uh guys, why is Killer Croc here?"

"His name is Waylon." Was the unanimous response from the entire team, after weeks of being corrected by Percy.

"Cheshire and him are now part of the team." Percy explained as he came to pat the speedster on the back, "It's a long story but I'm sure you'll get along. Also, that's Kori, she's a princess from an alien world."

Said princess smiled and wave happily, "Hello!"

Wally smiled nervously and waved back a little weakly. "Dude what else did I miss?"

"Not much, really." Artemis stepped forward, staring at wally with a hand on her hip and an unreadable expression.

Wally visibly gulped. "H-hey Artemis…"

"Kid Flash."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Wow it's tense in here. Alright everyone, let's give them some room. M'gann, Raven, that means no going invisible to spy on them."

As the team walked out the two girls protested in outrage, "I would never do that!/Don't be ridiculous." Causing Percy to chuckle as Wally and Artemis were left alone.

Several uncomfortable moments past as they looked at each other , before Wally could take it no longer, "I'm really sorry!"

Artemis cocked an eyebrow, "For?"

Wally sighed, "For acting like such a jerk to you, and chasing you off when you were only trying to help. I just… well… it's not really important."

"I'll be the judge of that"

Wally hesitated, before slumping forth in defeat, metal hands swinging back and forth, "I just… you were acting very, ahem, "affectionate" which normally I would be all for! But like, I've never actually… well…"

Artemis had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle, "You've never dated before?!"

Wally pouted and looked away, "N-no! it's kind of hard being the school nerd while also balancing a superhero life! But I'm off track. Look the only time I've ever had a girl willingly flirt with me is right after I saved their life. And after what happened, it started to feel like it was just more of that… like you were only doing it because I saved you."

At this Artemis' feature softened and she put a hand on Wally's shoulder, "Oh Wally… that's the stupidest thing you've ever said."

Wally looked up at her in confusion, "Wha—mph!" He was cut off as she grabbed him by the collar and crashed her lips on hips.

For the first time in a long time, Wally's hyperactive mind was completely blank as he struggled to process what was going on. Once he finally did, she had already pulled back and looked at him with a smirk, "Does that make sense?"

"Uh… no?"

He was rewarded with her flicking his forehead, causing him to wince, "Good. It's not supposed to genius. Honestly you think I'd drop my panties for every guy who saved my life?"

Wally's face went beet red, "N-no!"

"That's right, because that would include everyone on the team. I don't like you because you saved me Wally, I like you because you're you. I mean sure I came to that conclusion faster because of what you did, but that's completely normal! Tell me did you ever actually ask out any of those girls you saved?"

Wally blinked, "Well no but—"

"Any one of them could have said yes, and any of them could have said no. and if they did say yes, who could blame them? You had just saved their life! Seriously dude this isn't rocket science!"

The speedster still looked lost, so Artemis sighed and put both hands on his shoulders, looking into his eye. "Wally, we had no memory of each other, whatsoever. I could have been anyone, yet you saved my life three times, despite barely having enough energy to walk, and on the third time you did it by taking a hit you knew would not end well for you."

Wally looked away nervously, "W-well I didn't _know_ it would end like-mph!" Artemis kissed him once again.

When she pulled back he gulped again, no longer looking away, "Okay I might have had an idea…"

Artemis rolled her eyes and stepped back a bit, "Finally. Now if you're done being an idiot, let's go see to the forge."

"Why?"

"You'll see. Also you should start thinking of plans for Saturday."

"What's happening Saturday?"

"You're taking me on a date."

Wally stopped and looked at her I shock. "I am?"

Artemis' response was to look back at him with a glare.

"I-I mean of course I am! Can't wait!"

"Better."

They quickly made their way down to the forge, where they found a pouting cyclops idly hammering on hot metal.

"Tyson, don't be like that." Artemis sighed.

The young minded brute sniffed, "I'm not being like anything…"

Wally looked at Artemis in confusion, to which she sighed again and spoke louder, "Hey Wally, do those arms have combat capability?"

Wally blinked but answered, "…No, they're just to blend in. The League is currently working on something I can bring into the fe—" he was cut off as Tyson suddenly appeared before him with a huge smile.

"I have something like that! Want to see?!"

"…Sure?"

The next thing he knew the cyclops was rummaging through his work tools, before reappearing with a pair of bronze prosthetic arms "Ta da!"

Wally looked at the arms in wonder. They definitely blew his current, and possibly his old ones out of the water. They were beautifully made, almost as if they were bronze covered flesh. He couldn't spy any seems or joints, yet they bent perfectly as he moved them. "Dude… these are beautiful!"

Tyson smiled wider before piping up with, "Oh! Watch this!"

He maneuvered them a bit until they were in a pose to crack each other's knuckles. Tyson made the motion, and suddenly they shifted from hands into large studded clubs.

"These should help you in combat, especially combined with your speed! There a bunch of other modes that you can use once they're attached too! Let me just—"

They were cut off as a robotic voice sounded all over the cave, "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

Tyson was frozen in shock until Artemis tapped his shoulder, "T, go upstairs and help the others, I'll help him get the arms on and come after."

He nodded slowly, "Right… right! See you soon!"

The pair tried their hardest to ignore the banging and explosions sounding above them as Artemis helped him out of his current arms and into his new ones. The speed an certainty with which he did it told him that she had been planning to help him with it from the start.

Once they were finished, the arms suddenly connected with his mind and came to life, much more responsive then the star labs pair, Wally could only guess it was some sort of enchantment.

The pair made their way upstairs, with Wally deftly picking Artemis up and speeding up the stairs. When they arrived in the training room where the sounds were coming from however, they were too late.

The battle was already won, Percy and Tyson were standing over their own respective piles of red android parts, joking and laughing with each other while the other team members just seemed to be still recovering. The pair noted that he room was covered in water and scorch marks.

Percy brightened when he saw them,

"Guys! Get this: these hunks of junk can manipulate elements. Guess which ones."

Artemis frowned, "Uh…"

"Fire!" he pointed to the android in pieces at Tyson's feet, who giggled modestly , before pointing to the one at his feet, "And water! How sad is that!"

The two heroes could indeed see the humor in that matchup. Defeating the androids must have been remarkably easy for the brothers.

The pairs laughter was cut short however when an unfamiliar "I agree it was quite humorous!"

The team was instantly on guard, except for raven, who had suddenly turned whiter than humanly possible, "Oh god no…"

"You of all people should know that "God" has nothing to do with it…"

Suddenly a fiery red portal appeared in the middle of the room. out stepped a tall man in a suit and tie. Only, he wasn't really a man. He had long ears, pale skin, and four, glowing red eyes .

"Don't you sister?" he growled out, looking right at Raven..

"Greed…'" She breathed out.

 **Chapter 18**

 **Next chapter will be an eventful one for sure.**


	19. Chapter 19

Third Person POV

"Greed." Raven whispered in horror, as everyone stared at the demonic newcomer.

The well-dressed intruder simply smiled, "Raven. So good to see you again."

"Wait, you know him?!" Artemis exclaimed, looking at Raven.

Raven only grimaced, surprising most of the team with the most expression they'd ever seen from her. "It's complicated."

"It's really not." Greed chuckled, "We're family after all."

"Family?" Kara asked. "You mean that's your dad or something?"

"Brother!" Greed and Raven shouted at the same time before glaring at each other.

That's when Percy decided enough was enough and stepped forward, "Look pal, I really don't care who you are. If you have a bone to pick with raven or anyone else on this team you're gonna have to take it up with me first."

Instead of annoyance, the demon looked over at Percy with a genuinely joyful smile. "Ah! The gift-giver! Fret not! This visit isn't like that. I only wish to deliver a message from my father, both to Raven and to you."

"To me?" Percy wondered aloud, but before he could ask more, Raven was in front of him.

"What could he possibly want with Percy?" She hissed.

"Only to thank him!" Greed responded. "He has granted a great boon to us, and you know our father doesn't let debts go unpaid."

"A boon?" Percy asked, "I don't remember anything like that. Look I suggest you start making sense, before you outstay your welcome."

Greed only smiled wider. "Of course. My apologies, _Perseus_. I'll make myself clear." He turned to Raven. "You cannot hide behind your little friends forever sister. You will free our father, even if we have to kill every single one of the to get to you."

Raven was practically shaking in front of Percy, though she couldn't see her face. He glared at the demon, "And with that you've overstayed your welcome. I suggest you leave, I don't care if you are related to Raven, you will die before you get a chance to hurt her, or anyone else on this team."

Greed made a show of looking offended, "Me? Oh no no no! I would never lay a hand on my dear sister. I can't, not after what she did to me. but if you are itching for a fight, I suppose I can indulge you with a taste of what's to come."

Two more blazing red portals opened on either side of him, while a third opened behind him and began to swallow him up, but not before he said, "Trigon sends his utmost thanks for these gifts."

As the portal swallowed him up, two figures emerged from the other portals that made Percy grit his teeth. One was a scaly woman balanced on two snake tails: a Scythian Dracaena

The other was more concerning, a cyclops. Like Tyson, but definitely older. Both were clad in familiar demonic armor, like what the Minotaur wore. The snake woman had a sword and shield, while the Cyclops had an enormous mace to match it in size.

"Perssseus jacksssson!" The monster woman shouted, "Today is the day we shall finally feast on your bonessss!"

Percy took a deep breath, before he activated his shield and pulled on his necklace , causing it to morph into his new sword as he did so. "I don't suppose you guys will give the monologuing a rest? It's a new world after all."

In response, the two monsters roared in outrage charging forward with their weapons readied.

The team charged as well, Robin and Artemis shooting birdarangs and arrows respectively, only for them to phase right through the monsters, or bounce off their new armor.

"They're from my world!" Percy shouted, "Regular weapons won't work on them. Anyone without natural powers fall back! You're not properly equipped for this. Wally! Your arms should affect them, but don't push yourself."

Said speedster gulped, "O-Okay!"

With that the battle began. The cyclops was first met with a flying punch from Kara, which sent it stumbling back a bit, but didn't slow it down much. Jackson followed up with a tackle, but blinked when his target didn't budge.

Luckily Raven used er shadow powers to pull him out of there before the monster' mace swung down. That's when Tyson charged in and clashed with the older monster. He went to punch him, but was blocked by the enemies mace. The sheer force behind the trike sent shockwaves thought out the room, that cratered the floor beneath them, and sent many of them stumbling back .

Meanwhile, the snake woman was putting up a much stronger fight than Percy was expecting. Her speed and reflexes were dialed up to 11 as she slithered around her opponents, slinking around on her two snake legs. She was somehow simultaneously fighting Kaldur, Kori, Killer Croc, and Percy. She was using her speed and their numbers to her advantage. Directing strikes against each other, and occasionally slicing her opponents with her sword.

One caught Waylon, causing him to hiss in pain as it broke his skin easily, "Argh! Come on! One Reptile to another, why don't you make this easier on this?"

The Dracaena narrowed her slits at him, "I don't know what you are, but any friend of Perssseus is an enemy of mine! You will all die, like my thousands of sisssters that Perssseus Jackssson had killed!"

Percy stepped away from his exhausted teammates. "She wants me guys, hang back a bit."

Kaldur frowned, "But Per—"

"That's an order."

The monster smiled as the others backed away for Percy. "Ready to die."

Percy glared back. "You know, I killed most of your sisters with pure swordsmanship. But that's not all I have these days."

The snakes smile disappeared a she conjured a torrent of water out of thin air, before creating several watery tentacles, sharpened at the tips.

"SSSSSHIT!"

The attacking cyclops smiled as he fought Tyson, striking out with the mace, that Tyson was forced to block with is bare arms. "So, this is the mighty Tyson, General of the Olympian Army. I see the tales of your strength were not exaggerated, If only you would grow a pair and actually become a true cyclops!"

He then held up an arm to block Kara's arm blast, then reached out to grab Jackson as he tried to sneak attack him. "For example, you would probably be much stronger, if you practiced proper dieting!" he then brought the clone up to his mouth, ready to take a bite out of the now panicking hero.

Thankfully he was saved at the last minute by Sphere, who threw itself at the cyclops, knocking Jack out of the monster's hands. Before he could recover, the Cyclops was then attacked by Mrs. O'Leary, who had followed the ball to the fight.

As the cyclops fended off the hellhound that was nearly as big as it, Tyson regrouped with Percy, who had just finished dusting his opponent. Tyson was breathing heavily, "He's almost as strong as me brother."

Percy nodded, before switching his sword to trident mode, "Alright then, we'll do it together. Throw me."

The cyclops just managed to pry Mrs. O'Leary off, when a Percy shaped rocket holding his trident forward, flew at him at breakneck speeds. Flying right into the monsters eye and imbedding his trident through its skull.

He landed deftly on the floor as his opponent turned to dust. Looking at the two dust piles on the ground for a few moments, before turning to a very nervous looking Raven. "I think we might need to talk?"

"You're what?!" Percy exclaimed

"Leaving." Raven stated simply. The two of them were in her room, which was decorated with mostly candles, incense, and books. Lots and lots of books, which Raven was currently boxing up. She went to her room without a word after they were finished dealing with the monsters, after taking a few moments to compose herself once more.

"Wha—wait—why?" He asked. he tried to move towards her but she just kept moving farther into the room, and he wasn't about to start chasing her.

"We agreed when we started this that if I chose to leave, you wouldn't stop me. Are you going to go back on your word?" She turned to stare at him intently.

Percy winced. "No, of course not. But I'm asking you to at least tell me why first and give me a chance to convince you otherwise."

The girl stared at him a few moments more, before turning away, pulling her hood to cover her face as much as possible. "You heard what he said. That was my brother. Our father, Trigon, is an extradimensional demon, that will stop at nothing to control this world, and every other one. There is nothing he won't do… he will kill every one of to get to me."

Percy scoffed, "I'm sure he'll try. But in case you haven't been paying attention, demons coming to kill me isn't exactly new, and I'm still here."

"You don't understand." She stated, "He's not just a demon. He's the devil. _The_ devil. He comes from his own dimension. Hell."

Percy shrugged, "Again, not seeing your point."

"I think it's obvious right now that monsters from your world are now part of this one. you told me that every time they die they reform in Tartarus right?"

"Right…"

"My father's dimension looks almost identical to the Tartarus M'gann saw in your memories. It's basically the same place."

At that Percy had nothing to say.

"Now he has an uncertain number of undying monsters at this command , as well as his own forces. And there is no doubt he will use them to get to me."

Percy sighed and sat on her bed, "Why does he want you anyway?"

"I'm his daughter. He can't enter into other dimensions without being there first. The only way for that to be possible is to have a child with someone from that dimension."

"Then why doesn't he use greed? He looks like he's from here."

"Greed isn't like me. I was the firstborn, which makes me the most powerful. Father needs me to get here, but I won't do it. So, he's been sending everything he has at me to force me to do it."

"Okay…" Percy said as he processed it all, "In that case, why do you want to leave? You're better protected here."

She shook her head. "Here I'm more likely to get you all killed."

Percy felt his eye twitch, "Raven that's so wrong It's not even—"

"Percy!" she whirled on him with an annoyed expression "You're not hearing me. My father is immortal, he will never stop. staying in one place just makes it easier for him. And he's powerful, more powerful than anything I've ever encountered… including you."

Percy sighed, "That's probably true but, it doesn't disprove my point."

Raven looked away again. "I can take care of myself. It was a mistake to come here in the first place."

Percy frowned. "Look, I can understand where you're coming from, appreciate it even. You're trying to look out for us and I get that but we can look after you as well."

She laughed, causing Percy to freeze in confusion. "You don't get it! I can take care of myself, and I don't need you to take care of me."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Raven looked back at him, and an eerie look appeared on her face. She started walking towards him. Out of sheer respect for personal space he backed away, but he stumbled a bit when she started to grow taller, and more muscular. Her skin darkened to red, and a second pair of eyes appeared on her forehead, all four of her eyes glowed violet. Soon she met him in height and was inches away from his face, one that was frozen in confusion "I'm saying, good bye.'

With that, a glowing purple portal appeared behind her, before swallowing her, and everything in her room in an instant, leaving Percy in an empty room.

He tried to process everything that had just happened, but he couldn't get one annoying that out of his head.

 _She smelled like moonlace…_

 **Later**

The League came soon afterwards, to be briefed on both the robots, and the demon problem. \

"I think it would be safe to assume that any monster you've killed is viable to be part of our universe now." Batman stated. "which would include…"

Everyone sweat dropped as Percy sighed, "Almost all of them."

"What about Raven?" Zatara spoke up. "You said she's a demoness?"

"Half-demon!" M'gann corrected before blushing. "I mean… uh…"

"Let's say demi-demon." Percy stated, saving her from her embarrassment. "And she's made it perfectly clear that she's not supportive of her dads goals."

"She could be lying." Red Tornado suggested in his usual monotone.

Percy narrowed his eyes at the android. "She wasn't."

"You sound certain." Wonder Woman stated with a raised eyebrow.

"I am." Percy stated. "What I'm not certain of is why we were attacked by androids that look remarkedly similar to Red Tornado."

The android had nothing to say in return. But Batman spoke first. They were created by the same person who created tornado. I believe they are prototypes of a sort. They were probably here investigating what Tornado has been doing here all this time. T. O. Morrow has always been obsessed with destroying the league with the perfect android, and he likely still wants Tornado to help him do it."

"That is why I will be retiring as your care taker for a time." Red Tornado explained. "In order to track down my creator and put a stop to whatever plans he has."

"Now hold on," Wally spoke up, "Shouldn't that be our job?"

Batman narrowed his eyes, "And why would you think that?"

"Because we're the ones who got attacked!" Kara exclaimed in irritation.

"You all handled it well enough."

"That's not the point." Percy spoke up, "This guy likely knows where we are now, and what we can do."

"That is why I am making it my personally mission to find and put a stop to my creators plans." Tornado stated, "I will not rest until it is finished."

"Obviously..." Wally muttered,

Percy was about to speak up once more, but Wonderwoman cut him off, "Percy please, I know you and your team could handle this, but this is Red Tornado's problem, first and foremost. Please respect that."

Percy didn't look happy but he nodded begrudgingly.

"Good." Batman stated, "Now then, since Red Arrow will be preoccupied, the League will be instating a new supervisor to watch over the cave. I'm sure you've heard of Shazam,"

As an enormous caped figure rivaling superman stepped forward, having previously been helping repair any damage. Percy had not heard of the man, or his somewhat unique personality, so he was startled, when the man zipped in front of him in a blink of an eye and began shaking his hand in reverence. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Perseus!"

The man kept shaking his hand even as Percy stepped back a bit in shock, "Uh… just Percy is fine… sorry could I have my hand back?"

The larger man blinked before pulling away quickly, with a nervous smile, "Sorry, I just got a bit excited. I mean after everything I heard about you…"

Now Percy blinked, "What have you heard about me? from who?"

Wonder Woman coughed, "I, ahem, might have shared a few of your deeds with our fellow Leaguers. They were quite impressive after all."

"You held up the freaking sky!" Shazam exclaimed before earning a sharp look from Diana "Sorry, but how does that even work? And how did you do it with 'pure willpower'. Are you as strong as Hercules too?"

Percy winced at the name of his arrogant cousin, "No, not really. I just, had people counting on me I guess? I don't really know how I did it… wait did you say too"

That only seemed to fill the man with more awe, before he gathered himself, "Well yeah! It's part of my powers! I have the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the lightning of Zeus, the durability of Atlas, and the speed of Mercury!"

Percy raised an eyebrow at the mixing of roman and Greek mythology, as well as the odd biblical figure at the beginning, but decided not to question it. "That's cool I guess."

"Not as cool as you!" the man exclaimed, before seemingly just noticing the other team members, though only half of them were paying attention anymore "I mean you all are of course!"

Robin snorted half-heartedly, "Nice save."

"I mean it! Before, well Percy here, you were always my id—inspiration you guys take on villains even though you're just kids if that's not awesome I don't know what is.

Wally sniffed, "Yeah. I guess we're pretty great.

"I'm sure we can learn much form each other, "Aqualad spoke, diplomatically as always.

"Alright, now that we have our _den mother_ figured out," Jackson spoke up, "What are we going to do about Raven? We're going after her right?"

There were mumbled agreements all around, except from Percy. Tyson frowned at him, "Brother?"

"I promised when I brought her here that she was free to leave whenever she wished." He Stated. "I don't like how she left, but I usually try to keep my word. As it is, I have no idea how We could track her down. Mrs. O'Leary has her scent, but she apparently can make her own portals, so I doubt that will get us anywhere."

M'gann, who had been quiet for the longest time, spoke softly, "So… your just going to give up on her?"

Percy inhaled sharply, causing the Martian to wince as he took calming breaths, "I don't know what else you want me to do M'gann."

"There must be something though!" Tyson exclaimed desperately, "Right? Raven is our friend!"

"That's not the issue here." Percy stated, "She made it very clear that she doesn't want our help. She's worried that if she sticks around she'll get us all killed."

"That's ridiculous!" Jackson exclaimed, "We're in danger of dying literally all the time, but we always handle it! That's what heroes do!"

"Yeah!" Robin exclaimed, "Does she think we're useless or something. She's more likely to get hurt without us! Why didn't you stop her dude!"

Percy looked sharply at the young hero, "I've already explained that. I promised her before she came that I wouldn't."

"But you know it will only end badly for her!" Artemis stepped forward, "Why didn't you at least try!?"

Percy frowned even deeper, "I—"

"Yeah you're always going on about how you know better than us, and what's good for us." Kara joined in. "What was different about Raven?"

M'gann didn't meet his eyes, "Did… did it have anything to do with her demon form? You said she showed it to you before she left…"

At that Percy had no response only gaping as he tried to formulate an answer. Unfortunately that was all the answer that the team seemed to need.

"Dude… not cool" Wally stated before walking away, followed shortly by several other members. Kori didn't seem to know what to do, and ended up following Jackson. Soon only Aqualad and Tyson stayed by his side, though he didn't seem to know what to say.

Thankfully a certain human crocodile did, as a scaly hand rested on his shoulder, "Hang in there man. I don't know what you were thinking, but I doubt her looks were it."

Percy sighed and looked down, "What makes you so sure."

"Well you made friends with me didn't you?"

Percy chuckled, "Fair enough."

As the trio separated, Percy turned to go to the stables, only to find Batman still standing there. "Oh, did you need something still?"

"Is everything alright with your team?"

Percy looked back at the few team member still in the area helping with repairs and occasionally sending him dirty looks, before turning back,, "I'm sure they will be fine. Eventually. Probably."

Batman didn't comment, "Let's hope it's sooner than later, because I have a mission for you." he swished his hand and a hologram appeared next to him. Confusing Percy, as he was getting more and more convinced that he would never know how the room worked. The image showed a newspaper headline: GOTHAM MAYOR ATTACKED BY GUERILLA GORILLA

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

Batman only looked at him, "I'm always serious."

Percy sighed, "Alright fine. I'll go get the team ready. I assume we're leaving soon?"

"As soon as possible."

With that, Percy was off to round up his disgruntled team for the mission. He also decided to take Tyson with him this time, both because he thought he was ready and there was no way he was leaving him alone at a time like this.

As he was walking through the halls however, he was cut off by a certain assassin, "Cheshire, good, we have a mission, so go suit up."

He turned to continue on, but she got in his way, "Actually Percy, I have something I need to talk to you about, in _private."_

Percy frowned "Can it wait? I know it's last minute but we're kind of on the clock here."

For the first time, Percy thought he saw hesitation in Jade, but it was gone as soon as it appeared, replaced by rolled eyes instead. "Fine, whatever."

Percy wasn't sure what her problem was, but continued on anyway. It seemed everyone was pissed at him at the moment. Well that was just too bad wasn't it?

Gathering everyone up didn't take as long as he reared, much to his relief, and soon everyone was boarding the Bioship, including Shazam, much to Percy's confusion.

"You're coming with?" he asked.

"Sure! It'll be a blast!" The taller hero responded before flying into the ship.

Percy sighed before mounting Blackjack, and following after the ship as it flew out of the hanger

Percy frowned as they began their flight. At this point M'gann should have already set up a psychic connection with him and the rest of the team. He considered flying alongside and gesturing for her to set it up, be he decided not to. She obviously has a problem with him right now, and if some time away from him will help before the real mission starts he'll let her have it.

The rest of the flight was a bit boring, left to converse only with his mount. Though there was one point where Blackjack swerved frantically to avoid a spray of vomit that fell out of the ship. Percy laughed a bit, wondering just who was having air sickness. He decided it was probably Waylon.

When they finally reached their location in India, Percy was the first to touch down in a small clearing, checking for any enemies before gesturing for he Bioship to land.

THE first one out of the ship was Jade who rolled her eyes "I swear, next time I'm riding with you! if I have to ride with a bunch of teenagers one more time…"

Percy resisted the urge to mention her own age of 19. "I'll see what I can do. Any clues to who almost projectile vomited on me at Mach speeds?"

She tensed, "That… okay it was Waylon, but don't tell him I told you and don't bring it up. He's embarrassed enough as it is."

Percy chuckled to himself, "I totally called it."

Soon the rest of the team was gathered outside the ship, and Percy prepared to give the game plan, "Alright our first plan of action would be recon, so, robin, Kid flash, Artemis, you three need to—"

"Dude, it's recon." Robin interrupted. "We know what to do. Come on guys."

The trio turned to walk away, only to find three pairs of watery barriers blocking their paths "Take another step I dare you." Percy told them

Robin looked back in outrage. "So, you're threatening us now?"

Percy quickly dissipated the barriers, "Just getting your attention. To put it simply, I don't care if you are mad at me for whatever reason, I won't allow you to run off on your own in the middle of a mission. If you want a new team leader we can figure it out when we get back, but until that time, you will get in line and follow orders. _Now_."

The two teens glared at Percy, but begrudgingly followed orders and lined up in front of the raven haired hero. Once they were all together Percy sighed, "Alright. As I was saying, Robin, Artemis, and Kid Flash will head south east, along the area the reports have been coming from. Cheshire, please go with them and make sure they follow orders."

There was a cacophony of curses and protests, all of which Percy ignored, while Jade only nodded.

"M'gann, Kori, and Croc head southwest. Superboy and Mr. T go due south. also… wait a minute.

He turned around and whistled loudly, causing some of the more sensitive heroes to wince at the New York taxi whistle. A moment later Mrs. O'Leary burst out of the shadows and bounded over to him in regular dog size, wagging excitedly. "Mrs. O'Leary go with T and SB okay?"

The hellhound barked in reply and bounded over to the pair. Percy then noticed Shazam watching the animal in awe and barely restraining himself from going to pet her. he rolled his eyes

"Shazam, Kara, Aqualad and I will go ahead in the air." He turned to Kaldur, "Which would you prefer? Carried by Kara, or hopping on Blackjack?"

The Atlantean quickly chose Blackjack, hopping on the pegasus while Percy Turned to the others one more time, "We have our comms link set up now, but the minute trouble arises, Miss Martian will set up the telepathic link. Understood?"

The all nodded, and he gestured for them to leave.

Soon Percy was flying over the jungle with Kaldur behind him, and Shazam and Kara on either side. After a few minutes of surveying, Shazam finally spoke what was on his mind, "This team seems to be having… issues."

Percy snorted, "Putting that wisdom of Solomon to use huh?"

"Sorry! I know it's none of my business but… I just don't understand what's wrong."

Kara sniffed, "It's pretty simple. Mr. Almighty here let Raven go without even trying to stop her."

Percy narrowed his eyes but kept them forward "I did try to stop her Kara. She didn't listen. "

Kaldur sighed, "Percy, I don't think that's all there is. From the story you told. It sounds like you stopped trying the moment she showed you her demon form."

Percy stiffened, "T-that's not true. I was just… surprised is all."

"That's the problem." Kara sneered, "the minute she doesn't look human you give up on her."

Percy snapped to look at her with a glare, "Are you seriously accusing me of being racist? My brother is a cyclops, and around half the team are aliens! When have I shown issue with that?"

Kara looked ready to answer, but Shazam spoke up first, "But if that's the case, why did her form surprise you?" when Percy looked at him he held up his hands in surrender, "I'm not taking sides here I'm just trying to figure it out. you've spent a lot of time around inhuman folks, why did her form startle you or whatever"

Percy stared at him for a moment, apparently searching for an answer , but didn't get a chance to find one. "Blackjack, dodge!" Kaldur exclaimed.

The pegasus whinnied at being told what to do but quickly complied, as he noticed a giant rock flying up at him

after dodging successfully, The heroes looked down to see the source, and were quite confused at what they saw.

Mammoths, or at least, elephants that had grown to the size of mammoths. As well as unusual size, their skin was darkened, and torn in some places, revealing taught, painful looking muscle. And somehow, they were using their significantly thicker trunks to lift up boulders and hurl it at the heroes.

"'That's not natural right?" Kara asked, "I mean I'm pretty sure earth doesn't have anything like that."

"Kaldur, does that look familiar to you?" Percy asked."

"Indeed, it bears a disturbing resemblance to the Kobra Venom formula. Do you think that this has something to do with the guerilla gorilla?"

Percy snorted, "I honestly don't see how it couldn't be related."

Whatever the case," Kara stated, "These guys just picked the wrong person to throw rocks at."

She shot down towards the elephants, fists at the ready, causing Percy to sigh. Shazam looked at him uncertainly, "Are we going then?"

Percy shrugged, "Yeah I guess."

 **Meanwhile**

Robin scoffed as he ran through the tree branches, with Artemis and Wally walking along underneath, "I really don't get what you see in that guy!"

Jade, who was running through the trees ahead of them, laughed loudly, "What's not to get? His face, his physique his di—"

"TMI!" Artemis called out from below.

Jade rolled her eyes ahead, "His _divinity_. Honestly little sis, how corrupt have you become since I left?"

Artemis glared after her sister.

"Ignoring that…" Robin continued, "I thought he was cool, I really did, despite all the times he nearly killed everyone around him in a blind rage. But now this? Not only that, but he threatens us afterwards.

"To be fair." Jade called back, "You were disobeying orders, in the shadows, those barriers would be tridents sticking through your skulls.

"Still," Wally grumbled. "Honestly I'm still a bit on the fence. I just never took him for a… well you know. "

"A racist." Artemis finished for him. "Yeah me neither."

"Wait," Jae stopped moving and looked back at the party, "The thing with Raven? That's what you're all so pissy about?"

Robin scoffed, "Duh! He takes one look at her and immediately stops caring! Just because she's different? That's so not cool."

Jade cocked her masked face to the side, as her brain attempted to process this, "You think he was being racist?"

"Well what else could it have been?" Artemis asked.

Jade dropped to the ground and walked closer to the younger teens, "Maybe the fact that someone he thought he knew well turned into a red skinned four eyed _demon_ in front of him? You honestly don't think that would make any of you hesitate?"

Wally looked unsure, but the others did not. "Of course, it wouldn't! Robin stated proudly, "We're her friends. We wouldn't treat her like that."

Jade stared at them for a moment more, her bewilderment hidden with her mask, before turning around, "let's just get this over with so I can drag you home and beat some sense into you all until you see reason."

"I'd like to see you try.' Artemis stated with an edge in her voice.

Jade stopped and turned to look at her slowly. "You really don't."

Artemis huffed, "Please, there's three of us and one of you. you really think you stand a chance."

"I think you need to take a serious chill pill sis." Jade said as she leaned in close to her sister, "whatever you kids are angry about, it shouldn't distract you from the mission at hand."

"Who cares about this joke of a mission!" Robin shouted, jumping down to join Artemis, "You know the league only sent us here to keep us busy right? I've been real fed up with them lately. Especially since they now find it prudent to let killers onto our team!"

The two heroes started stalking towards the ex-villain, who backed up, if only to delay the violence for as long as possible. She glanced at wally, who had a disturbed look on his face, as if he was warring with himself internally, "A little help?"

"I…" He thought about it for a moment

, before shaking his head , his eyes filled with clarity, "Right. Robin, Artemis come on! We can't be fighting right now, we're on a mission!"

He leaned back when Artemis whirled on him, "You're taking _her_ side!?"

"What? No! Well-I mean—"

Artemis let out a cry of frustration, "Figures. Honestly you have been completely insufferable ever since you lost your arms!"

Wally literally stumbled back at her words, unable to grapes that I was her who said it. Apparently neither could he, because a moment late , her eyes seemed to refocus, and she whispered , "Wait…. What did I just say?"

Unfortunately she didn't have to figure it out as a pair of oversized talons suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and flew off with her.

 **With Jackson and Company**

Jackson roared angrily as he threw another superpowered wolf off of him. He was covered in bite and scratch marks from the beasts, something he hadn't thought possible until now. Tyson, Mrs. O'Leary and him had been accosted by an enormous pack of them soon after they had split from the others . they had immediately dog piled, so to speak the cyclops with numbers, and he was so afraid to hurt the "dogs" that he was barely fighting back.

Mrs. O'Leary on the other hand was a different story. She was swatting the smaller creatures away with great prejudice , but, only because they were using their numbers to distract and get behind her, was also becoming covered in small scratches and bite marks.

After everything that had been going on today, he really didn't need to be ambushed by a wolf pack. So he held nothing back as he punched kicked and occasionally clawed back at the monsters, matching them in ferocity.

He back handed one of them as they lunge, _Damn Cadmus not making me completely invulnerable._

He side stepped ad kicked away another, " _Damn Percy for making me look up to him and then pulling this crap_

He howled in rage as another bit into his shoulder form behind, " _And damn these wolves for daring to fuck with me!"_

Still screaming, he began tearing his way through the pack. Punching and kicking with all his strength. Each hit that connected elicited a single yelp before silence. Thankfully, they weren't dying, but it would be a while before they were up and about again.

The rest of the pack noticed this, and quickly left their own opponents to join in on the fight with the clone. Once the last one had moved off of Tyson, the dazed cyclops looked up to see what his friend was doing, and frowned deeply.

As the last wolf fell, Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary approached the visibly irate hero. Tyson gulped. "Jackson, are you al—"

He gasped, as Mrs., O'Leary had gone forward to sniff the boy out of concern, only for the clone to instinctively backhand the hellhound in the face.

As Mrs. O'Leary yelped, Tyson was already moving. Jackson turned and seemed to be realizing just what he had done, when his head was slammed into the ground by Tyson's much larger hand. "Calm down Superboy!" The cyclops bellowed.

Jackson winced as his face was ground into the dirt, "I… I didn't mean to…"

"What!" Tyson asked, and with a start, Jackson realized that he had made the cyclops angry, and that, up until now, he had never even seen his friend angry before.

"Tyson I swear, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just so angry, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye and…"

Tyson shifted above him before asking, "Are you calm now?"

Jackson nodded, and Tyson let him up , while eyeing him warily.

The clone immediately turned to see how Mrs. O'Leary was doing. The poor dog was rubbing at her nose with her paw smearing a collection of monster dust for a small wound on her cheek. He tentatively approached, intending to try and apologize, but was surprise when the hellhound turned towards him with a snarl

"W-woah girl!" he backed away. "I'm sorry okay! I didn't mean to—" He was cut off as an enormous black paw swatted him away, sending him slamming into a tree with a grunt.

However, what seemed like an act of aggression turned out to be something else. As Jackson was swatted away, an enormous white wolf came flying from where he was standing, sinking its teeth into the hellhounds shoulder.

While the new wolf was larger than all of the others, it was still much smaller than Mrs. O'Leary. Despite this, it seemed to be much stronger, and was somehow holding its own, for a. While that is. After taking a few swipes and nips at the hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary seemed to decide she'd had enough.

She jumped back into her own shadow, confusing the Alpha immensely, until she reappeared again from beneath him. She latched onto his throat and pinned him to the ground, now a whimpering mess as he realized his defeat. With a victorious huff, the hellhound began dragging the alpha wolf away into the nearby bushes, shrinking down to match his size in the process, for some reason.

Jackson started after them, "Where are they going?" he started to follow them for a moment, when Tyson stopped him, "maybe that's not a good idea…"

Jackson looked at the cyclops to see him completely red faced, though he was trying hard to hide it. "Why? It's not like their… oh… wait WHAT?"

Tyson looked away, "I-I think canines sometimes do it to assert d-dominance or something. We should give her some time alone."

The two teens stood in awkward silence for a moment, trying to ignore the increasingly loud grunting coming from the bushes, before Jackson said, "She can probably find us if we leave right?"

"Good idea.

 **With M'gann**

M'gann had been through many uncomfortable scenarios in her long life. Constant discrimination on mars, facing her uncle when he learned she stowed away on her ship, and of course, looking into Percy Jackson's mind.

Compared to all that , one could think her current dilemma would be nothing. He was alone in the woods with a fellow alien visitor, and a formerly villainous mutant. However, she was consumed with thoughts of Raven. She had known about her demon form, but hadn't told anyone, both out of respect for her privacy, and out of fear of her revealing her own true form.

What if she hadn't kept it secret though? What if she had convinced Raven to reveal her self? Maybe then they wouldn't be where they were now.

Alongside that, what if she had revealed herself? Her friends were undoubtedly very accepting, she knew that now, but after lying for so long, what if they hated her for it?

What if Tyson hated her.

The idea was almost too ridiculous to consider, but she couldn't bring herself to rule it out. the cyclops was still obviously not over all that happened to him, he might not take something like that very well.

All of these thoughts in her mind distracted her as they walked near a swamp, so she barely noticed when an enormous crocodile flew out of the water, jaws wide open, ready to bite her in half.

Lucky for her, Waylon did notice. Before the creature could reach het Martian, he rushed in between them and held his hands up. He caught by the tips of its jaws and gritted his sharpened teeth ads the momentum him sent him sliding back along the ground, knocking a shocked M'gann over in the process.

"It had to be a fuckin' croc didn't it." The mutant chuckled humorlessly, before yelling a battle cry and tossing the enormous creature away, sending it crashing through a few trees before it stopped..

M'gann was brought out of her stupor only when Koriand'r knelt beside her, "friend M'gann? Are you alright?"

She cleared her throat as she stood up, "yes uh… T-thank you Waylon."

The man aid nothing, with his back to them he was still watching the mutated crocodile as it regained its senses and got to its feet. "A fuckin' croc…"

M'gann didn't have a chance to ask if something was wrong, ash er answer came in the form of Waylon charging the beast wildly, answering its furious hiss with his own. they met in a mess of scales and claws, wrestling for dominance.

The two alien heroines went to help him, but he bared his teeth at them as they did so "stay back! I'll kill it myself!"

Despite his words, Kori still soared forward to help him, only as she got close to the fray, a scaled appendage flew about and sent her flying backwards. To her surprise , the appendage was Waylon's arm. His slitted eyes were burning as he told them, I said, it's _mine!_ "

M'gann looked worried but didn't try to help. She was on full alert now, which is why she was completely aware of the second crocodile lurking in the water, preparing to leap at her.

 **Lots of scene shifts in this chapter huh?**

Jade was having a very hard time not laugh at her sister right now. Most people wouldn't have that problem when a loved one is carried off by an enormous vulture, but to be fair, Artemis had been acting unusually bitchy

Also she knew her sister could handle herself. To prove her point, the archer slammed er bow into the creature carrying her, causing it to release her. As she plummeted, she drew a certain arrow from her quiver and aimed it at the ground. The arrow exploded as it hit the ground, expanding into a giant pile of pink foam, that she landed safely upon.

The rest reached her position. shortly after, and seeing that she was fine, faced their opponents. The vultures coming in for another swipe soon, and a second one had appeared alongside it.

"I thought Vultures were supposed to go after dead things!" Wally exclaimed as he dodged a pair of oversized talons.

Robin grunted as he did the same, following up with a birdarang that didn't seem to faze their opponents, "Well obviously these ones are more openminded. Artemis, can't you hit them? you're kind of our range expert!"

The girl snarled as she fired a steady stream of arrow , unfortunately the one's that didn't bounce off their hide were knocked out of the air by their talons, "trying my best here pipsqueak!"

"Pipsqueak!" Robin exclaimed, in unfortunately , a rather high pitched tone. "That's it!"

The two were now getting into each other's faces, violence practically inevitable, "You wanna go bird brain!" Artemis yelled

"Bring it on Air-ow head!"

Wally and Jade knew that they had to stop them, and not just because their insults were getting so lame.

"I have an idea. Can you keep them from killing each other?"

"Possibly.." Jade said, eying the pair as they started slapping at each other like children, "What's your plan?"

Wally chuckled nervously. "Not so much a plan as… a really dumb idea."

Not giving her a chance to respond, the speedster ran off.

Wally searched his memory to remember out what Tyson had shown him. After a moment he cracked his bronze knuckles, and smirked as his hands turned into large studded clubs.

He stopped for a moment and looked at the vultures, "hey! Over here!"

They didn't look at first, so he tried something different, "uh… hey! Testicle necks!"

The tow oversized vultures snapped their grotesque necks over to him.

"huh, didn't think that would work." '

He didn't have a lot of time to celebrate however, a s the vultures were both now flying straight at him. With a yelp he turned and ran, going just slow enough for them to keep up, but not catch him.

He ran until he found a tree that fit his purposes and sent a quick prayer to whatever god that would listen that this would work. He used his speed to run straight up the tree, before leaping backward off of it. he then spun around mid-air so he was facing the two monsters coming for his, so he could look them in the eyes as he held his bronze clubs right into their faces.

Now, while Wally might not be the strongest member of the team, he always had his speed. He put all the speed he could into his arms as he swung them out, and combined with both his and the vultures velocity, made for a satisfying crunch when his clubs impacted with the Vultures' faces.

They dropped like rocks, unfortunately bringing wally with them.

"Crapcrapcrapcrap!" he exclaimed as he fell. He was never good at falling. He knew flash could just point his arms down, start spinning them really fast and create enough wind to slow his descent, but Wally couldn't. just another reminder of how much slower he was than his mentor..

Despite that however, he tired it anyway. It was better than just accepting his fate and allowing his legs to break. Ideally he would have done a parkour roll to lessen his impact, and dealt with the bruises, but he hadn't anticipated that meeting the birds would stop both of them dead in their tracks, and send him straight down.

As he spun his arms desperately, he cursed internally and thought how much easier this would be if he had fans on his arms or something. That's when felt his arms start to shift. He looked own and let his jaw drop as his bronze clubs had changed into a pair of large fans, that were twisted and angled so as to help create thrust with his spinning arms. He could only smile and think how big of a hug he was going to give Tyson when he got back.

With the fans, he soon felt his descent slow down drastically e landed on the ground gently and looked at his prosthetics. With a thought, he willed them back to regular hands.

"I love magic."

 **Back with Percy.**

Percy took a moment to catch his breath as he watched the now passive mammoths stomp away. It had taken a an embarrassingly long time to make the connection between the collars and the elephants uncharacteristic aggression. Even then it was Kaldur who pointed it out. Not His proudest moment, but he felt better when he realized Shazam hadn't realized either . so much for wisdom of Solomon.

However as he was recovering from being swatted like a fly for several minutes, he heard Wally's voice "Please let this work!"

He was initially confused as the voice seemed to be in his head, and, M'gann had not set up a psychic connection, until he remembered he still had the comm link.

To be fair the team rarely used it. He turned on his mic. "Team?! Check in! What's happening?"

There was no response for a moment until finally, "I don't suppose you're helping problems with the wildlife too?"

Percy sighed in relief, "A little, what happened with you?"

"Giant Kobra enhanced vultures. You?"

"Kobra enhanced elephants. Anyone else hear me? check in."

"Brother! We had a similar problem with wolves!" Tyson chimed IN.

"And we're dealing with crocodiles," M'gann tuned in, "Or at least, Waylon is. I think… Percy something's wrong , he's completely out of control, he isn't responding to us, and his mind… it's nothing but anger."

"Weird." Jades' voice popped in, "I think something similar is happening with Robin and Artemis, they're both currently try to kill each other, and occasionally me."

"What!?" M'gann shouted over the comms "That's it I'm forming the psychic link!"

The entire team felt her do so, and all stumbled a bit as the wave of negative emotions screamed over the psychic frequency, originating between the two squabbling humans and Killer croc

Percy himself was floored for a moment before he grit his teeth, _"QUIET! All of you!"_

The three were silent for a moment before turning their hateful thoughts on him.

" _Stop telling me what to do!"_

" _I'll never forgive you for what you did to Raven, much less wally!_

" _Why did I get the GOD DAMN CROCODILES!?"_

Percy opened to first deal with the easiest issue, tuning out Robin and Artemis, " _Waylon, I'm assuming you're fighting giant crocodiles right now, which is cruelly ironic for you."_

" _NO SHIT!"_

" _BUT it doesn't mean anything. You are above this. You are not an animal. Which is why you will show those creatures who is boss before rendezvousing back at our landing site. Please do not ruin your new life on your first mission."_

" _I… y-yer right kid. Thanks"._

Percy nodded before turning his thoughts towards the squabbling teens, "Now you two… what the hell are you thinking? I know for a fact that Batman won't be happy when he hears about his, and I doubt Arrow will be thrilled either .

The mention of Batman seemed to give Robin pause, _"Oh shit…"_

Artemis however was not impressed. " _Now you're threatening to tell on us? How low can you get?"_

" _What exactly are you angry at me for? "_

" _What am I_ not _angry at you for? You hurt Wally, you didn't bother to try to stop Raven all because of how she looked, and now you're trying to boss us around—_

" _ALRIGHT!_ " Percy thought very loudly, " _I've had about enough of this, how many of you think I actually let Raven go because I was disgusted with her looks?"_

There were a few murmuring thoughts that told them all he needed to know.

He sighed heavily out loud, before speaking again " _If I tell you the real reason I hesitated, do you all promise to drop it so we can move on with the mission?"_

" _Gladly!_ " Artemis stated, obviously preparing to not believe him. The others agreed as well.

" _Fine then. I didn't hesitate because I was disgusted with her looks. I hesitated because of how her demon form enhanced her… figure_."

There was silence for a moment as they all processed what he meant, and when they figured it out, they all spoke at one

" _You were checking her out!?"_

" _Seriously?!_

" _Good lord.."_

" _Right then, can we get back on track then?"_

" _Now hold on~"_

"Percy…"

" _NO, we need to move on."_

"Percy."

" _But can't we just—"_

" _NO!"_

"Percy!"

"What Kara?!" Percy said turning to the Kryptonian in irritation.

'Where's Shazam?"

Percy looked around and realized that, yes, the older hero was nowhere to be found. He LOOKED At Kaldur "Weren't you watching him?"

The Atlantean raised an eyebrow, "I Assumed a full-fledged member of the league did not require watching."

Percy cursed under his breath, " _M'gann did you not set up the connection with Shazam as well?'_

" _I did but… I just checked his mind. Percy he's unconscious!"_

"Fuck!" Percy shouted, surveying the jungle around him for whatever was powerful enough to knock out someone like Shazam. " _Can you figure out where he is?"_

"… _Maybe. I know it's possible but I've never tired it before. I'll need some time to get a read on it."_

" _Do so while we're regrouping. Everyone meets at the bioship. This mission has now changed form an investigation to a rescue, not in small part due to our own failure to work as a team. So, are you all ready to do this, or do you want to yell at me some more."_

" _I'm sorry Percy,"_ Robin stated _, ""I don't know what came over me, I was just so angry..."_

" _Me too," Artemis chimed in, "And come to think of it… I ', not sure why. Looking back, I don't feel like my reactions were at all realistic… weird. "_

Percy narrowed his eyes at that, but set it aside for now, "You're all forgiven. now that that's behind us let's focus on the task at hand. See you all at the bioship in 2 minutes."

Percy ran through several scenarios in his head on the way back, trying to figure out what could possibly be behind the animals. Whoever it is has to be powerful or exceedingly clever to take out Shazam. Neither bode well for the team, but Percy had faith that his team could make it through. He refused to consider any other option.

However he was caught off guard when he reached the bioship. Kori and M'gann were already there, along with Waylon… and two enormous crocodiles.

Before Percy could launch an attack, M'gann was already in front of him "It's okay! They're tamed… sort of."

Percy took a second look and saw that what had first appeared to be Waylon squaring off with the two beasts, was actually him talking to the pair like a parent might lecture a child, occasionally bopping one on the head when they snapped at him.

Percy forced himself to relax as he approached the man. "Waylon, how you doing man?"

The mutant gave Percy a toothy grin that would have made anyone else shudder. "Hey kid! I did what you said! They still need a bit more training, but they know who's boss I can tell you that!"

Percy took a moment to process this before rubbing his forehead, "Waylon please don't tell me you're planning to take these home."

The mutant tensed up, "I mean… yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"What do you think Batman would say?"

"Screw him!" Waylon shouted, surprising Percy with the emotion behind it.

It seemed to surprise Waylon as well because he quickly backed down "Sorry I just… I had another pair back in the day. they were… put down by the cops when Batman caught me. it wasn't their fault! I'm the one who trained them the way I did… I know it's a lot to ask but—"

"Fine."

He blinked, "Really?"

Percy groaned as he rubbed his face in exasperation, "I suppose it wouldn't be fair to keep my own pets and not allow you your own. just… keep them away from the Pegasi okay?"

"Of course! I'll have them trained in a couple weeks."

"Good." Percy stated "Now, any more pets I need to know about?"

"Well…"

Percy turned to see Tyson and Jackson, looking sheepish as they seemingly tried to block the view of about two dozen or so enhanced wolves, all centered around a happy looking Mrs. O'Leary, and a sheepish white, formerly alpha wolf that stood beside her with his head lowered

"I think they're more Mrs. O'Leary's than anyone else's." Jackson commented idly.

Percy sagged, "Whatever."

 **Later**

Percy rode in front, gripping the fur on Mrs. O'Leary's neck for support as they bounded through the woods. Behind him sat Cheshire, Kaldur and Artemis, with robin riding the large white wolf beside them. The other team members either ran or flew to keep up. Waylon and his crocodiles were doing an impressive job at keeping up on their own.

Behind their group stampeded the entire wolf pack, making their procession an alarming sight for any creature they came across. A few more controlled animals tried attacking them, but they were swiftly taken care of and decollared. Once they returned to their senses, they took one look at the force before turning tail to run.

Mrs. O'Leary was in the lead because she was the only one who would undoubtedly be able to find Shazam's scent, on account of Percy's order, which she had yet to fail to carry out.

They eventually found what they were looking for. A large facility hidden in the middle of the jungle, protected by large coils generating a force field around the perimeter

Percy was the first to dismount and approach the force field. He tried using the water from his pack to penetrate the field, but it evaporated on contact.

Kaldur stepped beside him, "With my magic, I might be able to make an opening. From here I see a switch on the building that I believe will disable the field."

Percy looked where his friend was pointing and saw it to be true. "Good eye, but no. we can't settle for just turning the thing off. What if they have away to trap us with it when we're inside?"

"But there's a button right there…" Robin commented in confusion.

"You probably could hack us out if necessary." Percy conceded, "but I don't want to take chances. Why walk into a potential trap when you can just break it beforehand?"

He walked to one of the coils and put a hand on it, before wincing' he looked the small burn on his hand. He put some water on it as he spoke out loud "no direct assault then…" he muttered. He looked at Kori, "think your energy blasts could do the trick?"

The alien perked up at being called out and stepped forward, "I can certainly try!"

She charged up her shot before blasting the coil with green energy. To Percy's relief, it destroyed the coil in one go. He patted the girl on the back before turning to the others "let's go."

As the others passed by him, he swore he could hear Kara mutter, "I could have done that…."

He was about to follow his team into the building when he stopped and looked at the pack of wolves following them, "Hold up guys!"

He smiled as they looked at him curiously. "I have a better idea."

 **inside the facility**

Though he didn't show it, Shazam was getting a bit nervous.

To be fair who wouldn't be nervous when The Brain was about to slice your head open and dig around in your skull?

"Now then." The brain in the jar spoke, with a French accent of all things "Let us see what he wisdom of Solomon has to offer shall we?"

He was about to touch the power saw to Shazam's head, the tool held carefully in the villains robotic arm, when all hell broke loose.

More specifically, a hellhound broke into the room, followed by a horde of Kobra enhanced wolves. The villain and his gorilla henchman barely had time to react before they were upon them. To Shazam's surprise, the wolves were not going for the kill, but instead working more to subdue, as evidenced when the gorilla was held to the ground by all four of his limbs, barking angrily, While the wolves dogpiled (literally) on the Brain's mechanical body, tearing away his mechanical l9mbs and disabling his mobility completely.

They likely would have broken his life support system had Mrs. O'Leary not let out a deafening bark, causing them all to stop and simply hold their victims down.

"Good girl." Percy stated as she walked into the room, followed by the rest of the team.

"What is happening! This is an outrage! Who dare interfere with my operation!" The Brain ranted as he lay helplessly on the floor beneath the wolves

Percy looked down at the pickled gray matter and wrinkled hiss nose, "Gross. Robin can you make sure there are no nasty surprises in his set up?"

The boy wonder nodded and went to tinker with the villain, causing more cursing in French that everyone ignored.

Percy summoned his sword and sliced Shazam's restraints away, allowing him to sit up. "You alright?"

The Leaguer smiled at him embarrassedly, "Yeah, sorry about the trouble. That was really cool with the wolves though! Where did you get them?"

Percy nodded to Mrs. O'Leary, "Apparently my dog became their alpha while we were scouting the area. Funny how things work out. now, mind telling me how you got captured?"

The larger man blushed, "I was tricked! I was trying to help this tiger." He spoke as he stood over a large tiger that was also in restraints, one's that were promptly ripped off. The jungle cat gave a stretch before rubbing affectionately against the hero.

Percy nodded slowly, "Okay. Let's get out of this stupid jungle before we pick up any more strays. I had It bad enough with just Superboy.

"Hey!"

Soon after the team decollared the rest of the animals, they set off to turn in the brain. Percy left it to Mrs. O'Leary to transport the rest of the pack home. She happily obliged

Unbeknownst to them however, as the bioship took off with Percy riding Blackjack behind it . A pair of brothers watched them from the trees.

Greed was a smiling widely as he watched them go, un like his brother wrath, a towering behemoth who was nearing a hissy fit

"it didn't work man!" He cried as he punched down a tree in anger. "I only got a couple of the weak ones in the first place! And he broke them free without even trying! We're useless like this, father will—

"

"Enough little brother." Greed stated, being sure to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "You know that's not why we're here anyways."

Wrath snorted before begrudgingly acknowledging. "He is impressive. You were right."

Greed nodded, smiling even wider, "Yes, he is... We will continue watching, learning as much as we can, before dear sister realizes our little ploy with scaring her off, and only then will we strike. Understand brother?"

Wrath rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah… "

Greed eyed the retreating form of Perseus Jackson, and couldn't help but chuckle at what was in store for him.

 **Chapter 19**

 **Bit of slower one, not much going on, except for the obvious. It wasn't easy to write because of it but that's how it goes I guess. Next one is one I'm looking forward to, partly because but not only because it will be the chapter that Percy Jackson meets the Joker.**

 **I'm sure it will be interesting.**


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